The Poke Saga: Johto Region
by EmilyAnnCoons
Summary: Kotone is eighteen and beginning her Pokemon journey, but what happens when she discovers a war is about to begin between Pokemon and Humans and she's the only one who can stop it? Novelization of HG/SS. Rated M for language, sexual themes, and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Why is everyone always talking about the Kanto Region? I'm not kidding, all of the stories seem to come from there. Stories of two kids who defeat an evil organization. Stories of one kid who travels the entire Kanto Region and enters the Pokémon League just to get shot down after the preliminaries. Heck, they used to make a TV show a while back and that was about Kanto as well. Everything seems to always be about Kanto. Why is it never Johto, or Hoenn, or for fuck's sake even Sinnoh? Why is it always Kanto? What's so special about Kanto that it gets all the attention? Well, I'm going to fix that here and now. My story is about Johto.

Of course, most of you have probably heard that and immediately put the book down now. After all, who gives a fuck about Johto? Well, I do! I grew up there, my journey occurred there, and a lot of stuff happened on my journey there, so I care about Johto. So, here's my story, the story of my journey through the Johto Region, and if you're not a self-righteous bastard who thinks Kanto is the only place where things happen, then keep reading.

. . .

My story begins on the day I was going to start my Pokémon journey, but before that, let me indulge you for a moment. In case you don't know, the Johto Region is set directly to the west of the Kanto Region. In fact, we're actually connected to the Kanto Region through the Tohjo Falls on Route 27. They're not that far away. In fact, my hometown, New Bark Town, connects directly to Route 27. That's right, I grew up in New Bark Town.

Like Pallet Town, New Bark Town has a motto that also basically means we are the starting place of most trainers. To be honest, though, very few trainers ever start here. We're also very akin to Pallet Town in that we have very few houses but lots of land. In fact, if you can count the fact we lived five minutes away, my next door neighbor was Professor Elm. Course, that depends on what you consider "next door".

Professor Elm, though, was a nice guy. We talked regularly, and while he was nice, he was also a huge Pokémon geek. He knew a lot about Pokémon and was known for rambling on and on about them without even realizing it. I guess you could say he was akin to Professor Oak from Pallet Town in that regard.

Now, before I could start my Pokémon journey, I had to go to school to be a trainer. The school for that is in Violet City, which is one reason I question New Bark Town's motto. After all, it seems like more trainers start in Violet City then anywhere else. In fact, that's where everyone gets their starters. You see, when you go to school, you have to pass a few exams. One is a written exam to show that you understand what you were taught in the school. Another is a sort of classroom exam, you basically sit in a chair, a question shows up on a screen on the wall, and you type your answer into the computer in front of you.

Now, the two exams are actually very different, while the written exam tests your knowledge of things such as potions, revives, when to use them and how, the classroom exam is different. It gives you an image and you have to answer things like "When does this Pokémon evolve?" or "How does this Pokémon evolve?" or even "What Pokémon is this?"

Now, I did all right on those two exams. I did better on the written one, but I still passed the classroom exam. After that, there were two more exams you had to take. The first was an exam that tested your knowledge of battling. Based on your answers from the previous exams, you were given a set of Pokémon. You battled another trainer of about your level and they would determine how well you understood the art of battling. If you passed all three of those exams, you got to the final exam, catching Pokémon.

Based on how well you did in the previous three exams, they would give you a single Pokémon and a single pokeball. You were then sent up against another Pokémon they felt you deserved to own. You were tested to see if you could catch it, and if so, you got to keep it. If not, well, you got your Trainer ID, but you didn't get a Pokémon. Unfortunately...I kind of...failed that one.

It wasn't my fault, though, honest! I would have been fine if the Pokémon had been anything other then a Misdreavus...I don't like ghost-types, but apparently they thought it was the one that matched me. I tried to catch it, I really did, but I just...couldn't do it. Ghost-types scare me... But because of that, I was handed my Trainer ID and told I did good, but then was sent back to New Bark Town without a Pokémon.

I was really upset about it, and what made it worse was when my friend, Ethan, came home the next day with a Marill. He and I had been friends since we were really young, and we went to the school together, but he succeeded in catching the Pokémon he was sent to catch...I failed. This upset me for a while and I didn't even want to talk to Ethan for several days afterwords. I did realize, though, that it wasn't his fault. After all, he wasn't the one who had sent against a ghost-type against me.

We patched up our friendship afterwords, of course, but it still bugged me that I hadn't caught a Pokémon. That is, until one day, Professor Elm came to our house. He told me he could give me a Pokémon, but under one condition, I would have to sign some papers and claim myself as his assistant in his lab. However, he told me that that would simply be a front. I wouldn't be helping him out very much, and I would be free to do what I wanted unless he absolutely needed me. However, I did have to understand that if something came up and he had to call on me, I had to come to him.

I agreed, reluctantly. What else could I do? I didn't have enough money to buy pokeballs, and even if I did, I didn't have a Pokémon to use to weaken any Pokémon I ran into so I could use the balls. It would be like going to the Safari Zone, except much more dangerous because standard wild Pokémon aren't tamed like they are in the Safari Zone. Besides, I was certain that whatever Professor Elm gave me would be better than any standard wild Pokémon.

And that leads me up to now, or rather than, when I started my journey. It was early morning, no later than about 8 o'clock. I had gotten out of bed, showered, and was getting ready to start my journey. I dressed myself in a simple outfit, a spaghetti-strap, black shirt and a pair of blue jean shorts. The shorts were kind of short, though, as they only came down a little on my legs, but it's not like they were so short that I might as well have just been wearing underwear. There was legs to them, just not much.

I then stood at my mirror and examined myself over. I liked the outfit I was wearing, but I knew something was wrong. If I had gone out like that, my mom would have had a fit, and not because of how short my clothes were, but because I hadn't put on a bra. I actually opened one of my dresser drawers and stared, trying to decide if I really wanted to put one on or not. I really didn't, those things are uncomfortable. I decided I would try to hide it instead and grabbed a jacket out of my closet.

The jacket was my favorite out of the ones I owned. It was a red one, and was short-sleeved. It wasn't a heavy jacket either, just a simple thing meant for nothing more than being pulled on over a standard shirt. I then walked over to my mirror again and started tying up my hair. For the last three years I had kept the same hairstyle, two little pigtails in the back. Once I was done I smiled and nodded, I was just missing one thing.

I reached across my dresser and grabbed a red and black cap off of it. This was one of my favorite hats as well, and since I was wearing my favorite jacket, why not wear my favorite hat as well? I pulled it on, examined myself in the mirror once more, then turned to walk out of my room and down the stairs.

"All set?" my mother asked as I came down the stairs. She was standing there waiting, and I wondered why. It's not like she was going with me or anything. Maybe she just wanted to see me off? I don't know.

"Yeap," I spoke with a smile.

My mother's eyes seemed to stare at me, and I swear she was looking deep into my soul. It was kind of an odd feeling, but one I was used to. She did this a lot, and it always worried me when she did, because it usually meant she was displeased with something. "You're seriously wearing those clothes?"

"You bought them for me, you can't complain too much."

"True." Mother reached forward and grabbed my jacket. "But I can complain about this." She pulled one side of my jacket down. "I bought you bras, why don't you ever wear them?"

I groaned. I knew that was coming. "Because they're uncomfortable, and they're not necessary." I pulled my jacket back up.

"Not necessary?" my Mother asked, as if horrified by the statement. "Do you want the world seeing your boobs?"

"No, but I have a shirt on, it's not like they can."

"Not exactly, no, but your boobs may stick out of your shirt if you're not wearing a bra."

"Rather have them stick out then have my bra stick out. It looks really bad when you can see a girl's bra through her shirt. Besides, I wear loose clothes for a reason, Mom."

Mother grumbled and sighed. "I still think you should wear a bra."

"Mom, I'm not wearing one, okay? I'm 18, I can make my own choices now, and you can't even say 'as long as you live under my house, you live by my rules' because I won't be living here anymore. I'm leaving to go on my journey, I'm becoming an adult. It's my choice what I wear now, okay?"

Mother sighed again. "Fine..." she spoke. "I won't complain as long as you're wearing panties."

"M-Mother!" I shouted in embarrassment. "You know I wouldn't be caught dead not wearing them."

Mother smiled and nodded. "Good. I don't want you following after the example of that Kanto girl from three years ago."

"Amanda?"

"Yes."

Amanda was the current Kanto-Johto Pokémon League Champion. She was a strong trainer, and it's said that her and her boyfriend fought and defeated an evil organization three years ago. I don't remember their name, though. What I do know is that she is famous for not wearing panties and then wearing a short skirt. She's also known for riding her Charizard everywhere, which of course means everyone can see right up her skirt while she's flying around. I had no interest in anything like that happening to me, not one bit. Course, I wore shorts not skirts, but still, the point still stands.

"Obviously, I'm not that stupid, Mom."

"I know..." my Mother spoke with a sigh. "I just...don't like how you flaunt your body..."

"I don't 'flaunt' my body, Mom. I'm just not as modest as you." Which was true. I wear low-cut, loose stuff, she wears...a full body dress with an apron. Sometimes I wish my Mom wasn't so modest. I mean, does she have to wear a full body dress? Can't even be a dress that ends at her knees? Maybe a V-neck shirt or something? "Besides, it's not like I'm running around naked, right?"

Mother looked like she was about to panic at those words. "I guess you've got a point there." She and I giggled a little and I stepped towards the door. "Oh! Before you go! I bought you this." She reached over and grabbed a brown purse off of a nearby table. "I thought you might like to have a new purse, since your old one got ruined."

Since my old one got ruined...ha! That's a funny statement considering that it wouldn't be ruined if she hadn't taken a meat cleaver to it...but that's a story for another time. I smiled, took the purse, and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom."

"Oh! One last thing!" Mother reached into her pocket and pulled out a small red device. "Your Pokegear came back from the shop this morning. They said it should work perfectly fine now."

Should work perfectly fine...sure...like the last three times they said that. I'll probably boot it up and it'll blue screen again. Oh well. "Really?" I took it and strapped it to my wrist, then booted it up. Sure enough, it seemed to work fine. "Awesome! It does work!" I turned up to look at my mother again and was surprised to see her smiling yet a tear was rolling down her cheek. "You okay?"

"It's just...I've been waiting for a long time for this day to come...and now it's finally here...and I don't want it to be."

"I know, Mom." I smiled and hugged her. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Kotone."

We stayed in that embrace for a few moments, I can't tell you how long exactly, and then finally separated. I walked over to the door and pulled my shoes on, then opened it. "I'm leaving now." I smiled as I turned back. "Good-bye, Mom."

"Good-bye, Kotone."

I walked out after that. However, I hadn't gotten far at all. In fact, I had only just shut the door and taken two steps, when a blue blur smacked into my chest shouting, "Marill!" I fell to the ground and looked down at my attacker. It was a blue ball that had a white underbelly and small circular ears at the top of its head. It had a long squiggly tail that led to a blue orb at the end. It was Ethan's Marill.

"Arceus damn...ETHAN!" I shouted.

Immediately, Ethan came running towards me. "Sorry, Kotone!" He reached down and picked up his Marill. Ethan had his standard backwards hat on. His was black like mine, but where the red in my hat was, his was yellow. He also wore a red jacket and black knickerbockers, which are kind of like sweat pants only they only go down to your knees.

"Can't you keep that damn thing under control?" I grumbled as I sat up. Damn it all, Marill's attack had caused my jacket and one of my shirt straps to slide most of the way down my arm. I pulled the shirt strap back up, then pulled up my jacket.

"Sorry, Kotone, but she really likes you."

Likes me, my foot. "Ethan, she attacks me every time she sees me. On top of that, I've seen the way she looks at me. She has that 'Stay away from my man' look on her face."

"Nah, she could never be like that, right, Marill?"

Marill gave a cute squeak and I groaned. That was pretty typical. She would attack me, then play all cute an innocent to Ethan so he would never suspect anything. "Whatever, I don't feel like arguing about it right now...I just want to get to Elm's and get my Pokémon..." I stood to my feet. "I'll see you later, Ethan." I waved as I walked away.

I spent a few minutes walking to Elm's. Like I said early, to get there is like a five-minute walk. No one lives close to each other, and each house is at least a minute away, if not more. As for Elm's, his was a fancy lab sitting on its own with acres of land in all directions. His family lived on the top floor of his house, and he had stairs on the outside that led down. He did that on purpose, actually. His wife is quoted as saying "If the stairs were inside, he would never leave his lab to come see his family." The very fact the stairs were outside kept him from staying in his lab all day.

I walked towards his lab, when I noticed something. There was a red-haired kid standing at the far window, peering inside. I quickly walked over. "Hey! You! Kid there!" I shouted. He turned to look at me. His hair was long, at least shoulder length, and he wore a black shirt with red trimming and purple pants. "Yeah, you, what are you doing there?"

"None of your business." That was all he said. He then turned back to the window.

None of my business? Like hell it wasn't. That was my neighbor's window he was looking through. "Hey, I wasn't done talking to you!" I stepped over and grabbed his shoulder.

"Fuck off, lady." The boy threw his shoulder back, making me let go.

"Did you just tell me to fuck off?"

"Yes."

I growled. "Well, I have no plans to. That's my next-door neighbor's house you're looking into."

"Well, good for him."

What the hell was with this guy? "Listen here, kid-"

"No, you listen," the boy spoke and turned towards me. "You're being annoying, so get your whiny-ass away from me."

Annoying? Whiny? Ass? Oh, he did not just say those things. "No!" I shouted.

"Fine..." He reached his hand forward and before I knew it, my hand had been grabbed, twisted, and then shoved behind my back. My entire body had been twisted around in a single move, and my back was now to him. "Will you leave now?"

"Fuck no!"

The boy growled again. "If you won't leave..." He pulled down on my arm and I felt myself buckling and dropping to my knees. Then, before I knew it, my shorts had been dropped down to my knees.

"Strip me all you want, but I'm still not leaving until you tell me what you're doing!"

"Really?" the boy chuckled. "In that case." He pinned me to the ground and I began to feel my jacket being pulled on. Soon he had pulled it off of my free arm and was now pulling it down my other arm.

"Houndour, attack!" I heard a voice shout. The boy let go of my arm and jumped to his feet, but when he did, I heard the sound of my jacket tearing as he pulled on it. I watched him take off as two black dogs with skulls on their heads and bones on their bodies ran off after him. I saw my jacket in his hand, one of the sleeves had been torn completely off. He let go of the jacket a moment later as he continued to run. It pained me to watch the dogs then charge over my jacket, shredding it with their claws.

"Why?!" I whined. "Why my favorite jacket?"

"Kotone, are you okay?" I heard the voice from before speak and I looked up. It was Professor Elm! He was wearing his usual white lab coat along with a blue button up shirt underneath and a pair of green pants. His glasses were set oddly on his face, and I wondered if they had gotten jumbled in the excitement. He soon corrected that.

But now the question comes...did I look fine? I mean, my shirt was mangled, my shorts were down at my knees, my jacket had been shredded...Did I look fine? Did he really think I was okay after that? I sighed. "I'm fine," I spoke and pulled my shorts back up, then adjusted my shirt. I then pulled off the remainder of my jacket off my arm and then walked over to the rest of the remains. I lifted it up and sighed. "My jacket is ruined..."

"Maybe my wife can mend it?"

I held it up, showing the many many holes the Houndour had made in it. It looked like swiss cheese. "You think she can mend this?"

"Ahh...no..."

"I didn't think so..." I sighed. A moment passed and the Houndour came rushing back. One of them had a shred of the guy's pants in its mouth. "Well, I guess he got some of what he deserved."

"Bad dog, don't buy people's pants off," Elm corrected the Houndour and it gave its sad little puppy face. After a short moment, the two of use stepped into Elm's lab. His lab was full of all kinds of gizmos and gadgets, half of which I had no idea what were or what they did. A computer sat on one side and a small circular machine sat on another side. He showed me to that one.

"In this machine are three pokeballs, however, before I give them to you, I must confirm that you are okay with being my aide. As you know, I can't give you a pokeball unless you're willing to help me with my research."

"I know, Professor, I'm fine with it. What is it you need me to do?"

"I need you to go to my friend on Route 30. His name is Mr. Pokémon. He's always prattling on about this thing or that thing, but this time he claims he found something genuinely strange. He wants me to examine it."

"So you want me to go there and get this 'something' from him?"

Elm nodded. "Correct."

"Fair enough."

Elm nodded. "All right, then. Assistant!" he called for someone else, who came walking in a moment later. He was carrying a fire extinguisher. "First off is this one, Chikorita." He opened the circular machine then pulled a small red and white ball out of it. He held it forward and it opened, unleashing a red light then turned into a green plant-like Pokémon. It had a long leaf on the top of its head. "This one is very energetic and loves to fight."

He then pulled out another pokeball and opened it, releasing what looked similar to a blue alligator. It had a white V-shaped chest piece and it yawned as it came out. "This is Totodile, This one is actually a bit lazy, which is odd for Totodiles. Most are pretty energetic." He then reached for the last ball, but he did so carefully, as if worried it would bite his hand off.

When his hand took hold of the ball, he held it forward. "This one is Cyndaquil." He released the Pokémon from the ball, and the moment it appeared, it breathed in deeply and began to shoot embers from its mouth. Elm quickly returned the Cyndaquil. "That one is always scared..." I noticed Professor Elm's aide was now running around with the fire extinguisher, hitting each of the embers. Elm sighed. "Unfortunately, every time I release it, it lashes out like that."

I looked over the two Pokémon in front of me, then looked up at the pokeball in Elm's hand. "Maybe all it needs is a good trainer?"

"Are you saying you're willing to try to train it?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeap."

"A-all right, if you're sure." Elm held the pokeball out for me and I took it. I knelt down and released the Cyndaquil.

"Hello, little one, I'm your new trainer now." I should have realized that it would lash out as soon as it was out of its ball. Embers flew out of its mouth and I jumped back. It caught one of the straps of my shirt and snapped it. I quickly put the flame out before it could do any more damage. I then had to wonder...why was everything going for my clothes all of a sudden? Does Arceus hate me or something? Was he trying to tell me "You shall not go on a Pokémon adventure!" I groaned and grabbed hold of the Cyndaquil.

The moment it was in my hands, it curled up in a ball. It was scared, and I could feel it shaking. However, this finally gave me a good chance to look at it. It was a blue creature with a long mouth...or maybe that was its nose? It had a cream-colored underbelly, and four red spots on its back. I had noticed that when it used a fire attack, the spots had burst into flames for a moment, so I hoped it wouldn't do it again, since the spots were against my stomach. "There, there, you're a nice little fire Pokémon, aren't you? You don't need to be scared of me. I won't hurt you." I pet it a little. "I need a nickname for you, little guy."

"Actually, that one's a girl," Elm spoke up. "Totodile's the only male of the bunch."

"Really? That's interesting." I continued to pet Cyndaquil for a moment. "What should I call you? You're a cute little fire-type so...maybe Blaze? That sounds like a good name." Cyndaquil squeaked, as if approving. "Blaze it is, then."

"Interesting...Kotone, could you do me another favor?"

"What is it?"

"Could you, by chance, keep that Pokémon out of its pokeball? I'm curious about how the interaction between a Pokémon and its trainer works when the Pokémon doesn't stay in its ball."

"Sure, Professor, as long as Blaze doesn't burn the rest of my clothes." I snuggled Blaze and surprisingly, it seemed like it was trying to snuggle back. Elm seemed to stare at this.

"You just got it, yet it seems to really like you already."

"Maybe I just have a way with Pokémon?"

"Perhaps..." Elm said that slowly, then stared at me and Blaze a moment longer. He then seemed to snap back to reality as he quickly pulled his eyes away from Blaze and looked up at me. "Well, you should be heading on to Mr. Pokemon's place now."

I nodded, then set Blaze on the ground. "Come on, then," I spoke to her. "We're about to start an adventure." I then stood up and began to walk out the door. Much to my surprise, Blaze followed behind without a problem. And that was it, that was how my journey started. I had no idea what lied in store for me on this journey, I could only hope it would be an enjoyable one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Route 29 is not nearly as short as I had assumed it was..." I spoke as I glanced around me. This part of Route 29 looked completely different then what I was used to, and I had found myself lost. Of course, I never would have admitted such a thing. "No worries, though, Blaze, I know right where we are."

"Cyndaquil," Blaze responded by folding her arms over her chest. She obviously did not believe me.

"Honest!" I stated with a smile as I held up my pokegear. "See? It has a map on it that will tell us right where we are!" Now, I guess I should explain a bit more about what a pokegear is, as I didn't state much last time. A pokegear, or Pokemon Gear for its full name, was a high-tech watch that acted as a radio, map, phone, clock, and much more, all in one handy portable device. Think of it as similar to the CrossTransceiver, but basically the predecessor of it. Although, unlike that, the pokegear didn't have video calls, just standard phone calls.

I held my pokegear up and pressed the map button on it. The entire thing was touchscreen, so it was really handy. However...mine had a major program glitch in it. Usually, it either died if I tried to load something up, or if I just tried to turn the gear on itself. The moment I loaded the map app, the entire thing crashed and showed a blue screen displaying a long and technical error message.

"Stupid thing! I thought they fixed this!" I turned it off and back on, then tried to load the phone and it did the same thing. "Argh!" I grabbed it off my wrist and tossed it onto the path behind me. "Fuck this shit!" I sighed and hung my head in defeat. "We're lost..."

I hadn't been wallowing in defeat for long before I heard a voice call out to me. "Excuse me, are you lost?" I turned my head up, only to find myself staring down an elderly man. He was mostly bald, though he did have a small beard and some gray hair that hung down from the sides of his head. He wobble towards me on his cane, his back bent over in his old age.

"Y-yeah, a little..." I stuttered a bit.

"Where are you going to? Perhaps I can help."

"Cherrygrove City? Some guy named Mr. Pokemon lives near there?"

"Oh! That's where I live! I'll show you the way!" The old man turned and began to walk off. I had to stop and stare for a moment as he seeme to walk at a much faster pace then one would expect for an old man with a cane. In fact, he seemed to be walking at normal human speed, if not faster. "Come along now," he called. I guessed he had noticed I hadn't followed him yet.

And what else could I do? I was lost, and probably would never find my way there on my own. Despite the fact that I have travelled the route several times myself before, I had somehow gotten side-tracked into a path I hadn't known. I didn't know how I had gotten there, or how to get back to the right path, but this old man seemed to know. So, what else could I do? I followed him.

And I followed him...

And...I followed him...

Finally, after we had walked about twenty minutes, I began to wonder where we were going. Had I gotten myself that far off the path? Or was he not going back to town? In fact, I was pretty certain I had seen that tree we had just passed at least three times before. Yes, it definitely looked familiar. A tall tree with a strange curly branch, standing on its lonesome apart from the other trees in the area. When we passed it for a fourth time, I spoke up.

"Old man!" I shouted. "We're walking in circles, aren't we?"

"Yes," the old man replied so nonchalantly that it about made me trip.

"If you're lost, then how the hell are you supposed to help me get unlost?"

"Me? Lost?" The old man seemed hurt that I would even suggest such a thing. "No dear. I simply walk this path ten times every day. Since you caught me in my morning walk, I figured I'd finish it before heading home. It's a nice long path, and it keeps my old bones nice and strong." Strong was certainly right if he was managing to walk at the pace he was walking at with his cane. The question was, though, why did he need the cane if he walked so well? Whatever...

"I need to get to Cherrygrove City, though. It's important I get there as quickly as possible."

"Really? Well, in the case, just take the path." The old man pointed behind me and I whirled around to see...a path...that led right into Cherrygrove City. I could even see the buildings from here plain as day.

"What? But...we weren't...how did..." I stammered as I tried to formulate a question, but I couldn't seem to actually do so. "You know what? Forget it! I'm just going to go." I started to walk forward.

"Oh, miss, I think you forgot something." The old man held out a small red device. It looked similar to my pokegear. I reached out for it and grabbed it up. It WAS my pokegear! What the hell?

"My pokegear? When did you pick it up?"

"A while ago."

"I threw it away because it didn't work..." I strapped it onto my wrist, staring at it. Something seemed different about it now.

"I'm sure you'll find it works perfectly now."

"Yeah, right," I spoke with thick sarcasm, "and my name is Elizabeth Taylor." I pushed the map button and, sure enough, the map loaded up just fine. "What the hell? It works?"

The old man smiled. "It was just a simple programming glitch. I fixed it for you."

"But how did...I mean...you never..." I sighed and turned away. "Never mind..." Things were all too strange already, and I didn't really want to press it any further. I walked away, making my way into Cherrygrove City.

Now, don't let the name fool you. Cherrygrove City was nothing more then an overly embellished town. It had a few houses here and there, even an apartment complex, and it had a few stores as well, but there wasn't much more to it. It was more like a large town then a true city. Of course, nothing can compare to the size of Goldenrod City or Saffron City. For that matter, Saffron City pales in comparison to the monster of a metropolis that Goldenrod City is. Goldenrod City is the home of the ten story radio tower that covers all of Johto, after all.

"First order of business!" I declared once Blaze and I were in the center of the town. "I need to buy a new shirt and jacket." I was getting a little tired of having my shirt hanging down on one side. It looked pretty bad, to be honest. "After that, it's on to Mr. Pokemon's." We walked to the nearby clothing store and stepped inside. I found another black spaghetti strap top that I liked, as well as a nice red jacket. This one, though, was a mini jacket. It only came down to my stomach, and the sleeves were even shorter then the last one. As well, it didn't close in any way, and was much to small to even reach around my chest to close even if it could. Which is actually interesting as much chest isn't that big either, so the jacket must have been designed that way on purpose.

In either case, I liked it, so I bought it up with the little money I had. I then changed and headed out. "All right, let's head down Route 30 to find Mr. Pokemon."

Now, this is where my journey starts to get a bit interesting. Route 30 was full of Pokemon, moreso then Route 29 was. They weren't very strong Pokemon, but they were still wild Pokemon. As well, Route 29 had people that usually worked to keep the majority of the tall grass, which is where Pokemon were most common on the path, cut down. This allowed for easy travel without worry of being attacked by wild Pokemon. However, while Route 29 was travelled a lot by people from New Bark Town who had to get their daily needs from Cherrygrove City, Route 30 was travelled mostly by trainers. Because of this, the grass wasn't cut as much, leaving a lot of tall grass for Pokemon to wander through.

It just so happened that Mr. Pokemon's house was also off the main path, meaning there was even more places for wild Pokemon to appear. Needless to say, we had many encounters along the way, but our first was the most memorable. We had just started down the path when I heard a shuffling noise behind me. I turned around just in time to see a purple rat in the tall grass. "Rattata!" the rat shouted, barring it's two large buck teeth at me.

"Oh my gosh!" I screamed and jumped back. "A rat! Kill it, Blaze, kill it!" I shouted. Yes, I was absolutely terrified of a little Rattata. It wasn't even that big, maybe a few inches at best. Blaze, however, looked at me with a look that seemed to say 'That's not an attack, Kotone'. I groaned. "Right...it's a Pokemon. I have to battle it, don't I?" I sighed. "Blaze, use Ember!"

"Cynda-QUIL!" Blaze shot several embers forward at the Rattata, but it simply lept to the side.

"Damn, fast little sucker," I spoke and stared at it. The Rattata pulled itself back, looking like it was going to attack. I smirked. "Blaze, give it a head-on Tackle!" Blaze and the Rattata immediately charged at one another, slamming head first into each other. For a moment, neither flinched, but then, the Rattata's eyes swirled and it fell backwards. "That was awesome!" I knelt down and pet Blaze's head. "Good job, Blaze."

Of course, we had other encounters after that, but it would take too long to tell you all of them in detail. I'll just say that by the time I got to Mr. Pokemon's house, I was sick of fighting. "Are we finally here?" I groaned as we stepped out of the tall grass and into the well trimmed grass around Mr. Pokemon's house.

His house was a pretty quaint place from the outside. Nothing special really to describe. I walked up to the door and knocked. "Hello? Anybody home?" I called out.

The door opened and i was greated by a man wearing a very well-kept suit and tie. He was an elderly man, though not as old as the man I had seen before. He wore a hat and had gray hair with a beard and moustache that he kept well trimmed. The moment he stepped into the doorway he asked, "Why didn't you just walk in?"

"Wh-what?" I asked, unsure of how to answer such a question. I mean, who does that anyway? Just walk into people's houses without knocking or anything.

"Never mind, come on in." The man smiled and stepped inside, holding the door for me. I stepped inside. It was a quaint little house, not very big at all. It was obviously built for one person and no more than that, as there was a table in the middle of the house and the kitchen was on the far side. A computer sat near the table and a television sat near the door. A bed lied against one of the walls, and aside from that, there wasn't much else to the house.

"Are you Mr. Pokemon?" I asked.

"That I am. Well, Mr. Pokemon isn't really my real name, but it's what everyone calls me. People like to refer to me as a 'Pokemaniac' but I'm not really sure that fits. Honestly, I just love Pokemon."

I smiled. "Well, I'm Kotone from New Bark Town."

"Oh?" Mr. Pokemon blinked a couple of times. "Oh!" he shouted and turned around, rushing over to a cabinet. He didn't speak a word as he began rummaging through the cabinet, frantically searching for something. Soon enough, he had found what he was looking for and brought it over to me.

It was a small glass container of some kind with a yellow base and a yellow dome at the top that had a button on it. The entire container was tinted, so you couldn't see into it. "This is what I want Professor Elm to look at." He set the container on the table and I walked over to it.

It took me a moment before I realized what I was looking at. "Wait, a Pokemon egg?"

"Not just any Pokemon egg." Mr. Pokemon pushed the button and the tint seemed to immediately fade away, revealing a large white egg with red and blue markings on it. "I think it may be a new species, one we've never encountered before. Professor Elm is the expert on Pokemon eggs, so i wanted him to examine it."

"Then I should take it to him right away."

"Before you do that, let me have a look at you," a second voice spoke and I turned. It was at that moment I saw a second elderly man standing there. He was older then Mr. Pokemon, but still younger, at least in looks, then the first old man. He, of course, had gray hair and lines on his face that showed his age. However, he stood tall and strong, wearing a labcoat with a red shirt and khaki pants. I stared at him for a moment, then pointed a finger at him.

"Pr-Professor Oak?!" I shouted.

You see, Professor Oak is accredited as being the "Number 1 Pokemon Professor". He knew everything there was to know about Pokemon, or rather, he knew everything that WAS known about Pokemon at the time. He could tell you everything, like when they evolved, how they evolved, what levels they learned attacks, what number they were in the Pokedex, everything! Of course, he also designed the Pokedex himself, so of course he would know what Pokemon were what numbers.

Of course, if you don't know, the Pokedex is the Pokemon Encyclopedia. How they got "Pokedex" out of that, I haven't the foggiest, but regardless... It was a high-tech piece of machinery that could tell you anything you wanted about Pokemon, from their height, weight, footprint, type, you name it. It even gave fun little facts about each one as well. For example, one of my favorites is about Hypno where it says "When it is very hungry, it puts humans it meets to sleep, then it feasts on their dreams." It's one of my favorites because its creepy.

Now, Professor Oak was standing in front of me, staring at me. I didn't mind at first, but as his eyes began to move down my body, I suddenly became very aware of how little I was wearing. I knew I had to be blushing now as thoughts began to move through my head, thoughts like "What if he doesn't like me?" or "Why did I wear these clothes today?" I even began to wonder if he would notice that I was suddenly feeling naked in front of him, and if he did, what would he think of that? Would he hate me? Would he call me a slut for wearing so little? Why was I meeting such a high prestige professor like him for the first time and presenting myself like this? I felt like an idiot.

"You seem like a really strong and nice young woman," the Professor spoke up after a few moments. He didn't think I was a bad person after all? I felt very relieved about that and gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, sorry, did I embarass you?"

"A-a little..." I spoke as I looked away.

"Well, don't be too embarassed," Oak smiled with that statement. "You have the looks of someone whose potential could rival, or even beat someone else I knew three years ago."

Three years- Did he mean- No, he couldn't have been talking about Amanda, could he have? I had to be certain. "Three years ago? Do you mean Amanda, sir?"

"The one and the same."

"You think I have the same potential as her?"

"Perhaps even more."

I felt...happy, I guess you coul say. Professor Oak was supposedly able to see the potential of any trainer he came across, even before they got their first Pokemon. Of course, he could see their potential, not see how they would use that potential. It's said he's seen many trainers with great potential who do nothing with it. "And to prove it," Professor Oak began as he reached into his labcoat pocket. "This is a Pokedex." He held out a small red device to me. "Amanda had one of these as well. As you may know, the Pokedex Project is not yet finished, as there are many Pokemon we know nothing about. As such, I am only giving these out to the people with the potential to be great trainers." He smiled and put it right in my hand. "I'm giving one of them to you."

OhmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH! That's what I was thinking at that moment. My mind was racing, trying to process what the Professor had just said. He had told me I had the ability to be a great trainer, but even so, I doubted. Yet, just seeing the pokedex now in my hand...it made me think I may have the potential after all. I quickly gave him a bow and just barely squeaked out the words "Thank you." It was then that I realized a bow was probably not the best thing, as it meant he would see right down my shirt. I mentally smacked myself in the head. I was doing such a great job so far of not screwing up a first impression with him, and then I had done that.

Yet, Professor Oak didn't even take notice. In fact, now that I think about it, Amanda wore a tube top and mini skirt, so she wore even less then I did, and Professor Oak had no problems with her. Maybe clothes didn't matter to him? Maybe he really could see passed a person's physical body and see the potential inside of them.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get going to Goldenrod City. I fear I may have stayed too long already, but I simply had to meet you, Kotone. Mr. Pokemon was telling me all about how Professor Elm speaks so highly of you."

"H-he does?" I squeaked and Oak nodded. "A-and you really stayed just for me?" Oak nodded again. I squeaked again and Oak chuckled.

"Farewell, old friend," Oak spoke before giving Mr. Pokemon a friendly hug. "Farewell, Kotone," he said with a smile to me. Professor Oak walked out of the house and I stared as he went. I then turned back to the egg.

"I should get this to Professor Elm right away."

"Why not take a rest for a bit?" Mr. Pokemon smiled. "You and your Pokemon look like you could use a rest."

"That's nice of you, but I simply couldn't-" I reached for the egg as I was talking, then the next thing I knew, everything went black.

I found myself slowly waking up with a groan. I didn't know what had happened, or why it had happened, or even where I was now. As I slowly sat up, I examined my surroundings. I can't say I was expecting anything to be familiar, mostly because I wasn't even sure what had happened. As it turns out, though, it was familiar. I was lying in Mr. Pokemon's bed. "What happened?" I asked myself before looking myself over. I noticed my hat, jacket, and shoes were off. I guess I'm not that surprised, though. I wouldn't want someone's dirty shoes on my bed. Hell, I wouldn't even want my own shoes on my bed. I then noticed one of the straps of my shirt had slid down, but that made sense. If I had been asleep, I probably shifted a bit. That reason alone is one reason I never wear anything loose to bed. Of course, I also can't remember the last time I wore anything to bed at all.

"Mr. Pokemon?" I called out again as I pulled the strap up. I hopped out of bed, making note that Blaze had been sleeping nearby as well. She seemed to be sleeping happily, but once I had called out the second time, she had awoken as well. I noticed the egg case was still sitting on the table, so I began to make my way over to it. As I picked it up, I noticed a note under it. "What's this?"

"'Dear Kotone,'" I began to read, "'you should be more careful of what you're doing next time. Don't let stress get the better of you, otherwise you might faint again. Luckily I caught you before you hit the floor. I lied you on my bed so you could sleep better. Your hat and jacket are hanging up by the door, and your shoes are by the door as well. Please be more careful next time, okay? Fainting isn't good for your body. If you need me, I'll be in Cherrygrove for the rest of the day. Signed, Mr. Pokemon.'"

"Well, that was sweet of him, I guess." I turned to where my jacket and hat were hung up. "Not sure I like the fact he took off some of my clothes, though." The thought of an elderly man taking of my clothes made me cring, and I hoped that was all that had happened. I stepped over to my jacket and pulled it off the rack and pulled it on, then slipped my shoes back on. Finally, I tossed my hat onto my head and opened the door. "All right, Blaze, let's go."

RING RING! Not even a moment passed before I heard my pokegear go off. I looked down at my wrist and hit a button, forgetting to even check the ID on it. "Hello?"

"KOTONE!" Professor Elm screamed the moment I answered. "COME QUICKLY! IT'S TERRIBLE! NO, IT'S HORRIBLE! NO, IT'S A CATASTROPHE!"

I winced. He was shouting so loud I was having to hold my pokegear away from my face. "What's wrong, Professor?" I tried to ask over his screaming.

"It's...oh no..." Those words were spoken with a tone of grief, as if something very precious had been stolen, or someone had died. "KOTONE, COME QUICKLY!" That was it. That was the entire conversation. Professor Elm hung up the phone right away, ending the call, leaving me in a state of panic. What had happened? What was so absolutely terrible?

"Let's go, Blaze," I spoke without even looking at her. I immediately took off, and I can't even recall whether I closed the door behind me or not. All I knew was, I was running as fast as my legs would carry me. I remember Blaze hopping onto me because she was having trouble keeping up. All I knew, all I cared about, was getting home.

"Ouch!" I shouted as I fell to the ground. I had ran into something. No, it wasn't something, it was someone. I was in the middle of Cherrygrove City now, there were a lot of people. It must have been a someone. "Sorry!" I looked up to see who I had run into. "YOU!" I shouted. It was the boy from Professor Elm's lab. The one who had tried to strip me and that Elm had chased off using his Houndour. I had run into him, quite literally.

The boy smirked. "Well, we meet again, girl."

"My name's not 'girl'. It's Kotone."

He stared at me like I had two heads. "Kotone? Really? You don't look Japanese."

"I'm not, my parents just liked the name. What does it matter to you anyway?"

The boy shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose, though it is such a waste."

"A waste?"

"Giving a girl like you a Japanese name when you're not even of asian decent."

I growled. "Yeah? Well, fuck you!"

Silver stared at me again, as if the statement had amused him. Then I noticed, he wasn't staring at me at all. He was staring at the egg in my hands. "What's this? An egg case?" He reached down and snatched it right from my hands. I tried to resist, but he was strong, just as strong as last time. Well, I hadn't been on my journey for even a day, so I suppose that makes sense. He hit the switch, causing the case to light up so the egg was visible. "Pathetic." He tossed it aside and I quickly leaped for it, just barely catching it in my hands. This seemed to intrigue him. "You care for something as worthless as an egg?"

"Worthless?" I shouted. "I'll have you know this egg is very important!"

"Important?" The boy tried to stiffle a chuckle, but he couldn't help but laugh at that comment. "Please, tell me another one."

"It's true!"

"Is it now?" Quick as lightning, he snatched the egg out of my hands. "Tell me, how important can something be if it can't even defend for itself?"

"Give me that egg back!" I didn't even care to respond to his statement, I just wanted the egg back.

"Certainly." The boy held the egg out, but before I could take it, he pulled it away. "Under one condition. Best me in a one-on-one Pokemon battle. Unless, of course, you're too weak and scared." He said that last part in a mocking tone.

"I'm not weak, and I'm definitely not scared! Blaze, go!"

"Go, Totodile, show her what you're made of!" Totodile appeared from it's pokeball, and I had to stop and stare. This one looked exactly like the one from Elm's lab. "Destroy that Pokemon!"

Totodile readied itself for battle. "Blaze, use Tackle!" Blaze dashed forward, striking the Totodile hard in the chest. After a moment, the Totodile turned back to its trainer. It looked confused.

"Well? Attack! What are you waiting for?"

"Blaze, Tackle again!" Blaze lept forward, striking the Totodile hard in the head.

"Why aren't you fighting?!" the boy shouted, stomping the ground. The Totodile whimpered, and I called Blaze to stop.

"It's not attacking because you haven't given it a command."

The kid froze. "I...I knew that! I was...testing you! Totodile, use that...water spray thing you have!"

"You mean Water Gun?" I asked flatly. Seriously, did this guy know anything about Pokemon?

"Of course I meant Water Gun! What do you think I am, an idiot?" Could have fooled me. "So, use it, Totodile!" His Totodile stared at him.

"You know, if your Totodile doesn't know Water Gun, it can't use it."

The boy growled. "Worthless...absolutely worthless!" He tossed his pokeball hard at the Totodile. I wouldn't be surprised if it sustained an injury from being hit in the head so hard. Of course, the Totodile returned to its pokeball. "I don't need a worthless Pokemon that knows nothing to deal with you." He was on me again. His hands reached forward and gripped me. Blaze jumped to defend, but he kicked her away. "Farewell, girly." His foot swung around, and I remember falling to the ground.

"It's Kotone!" I shouted as I tried to flip myself and kick at him, something I had never done before, and absolutely ended up failing at. He grabbed hold of my leg in an instant, then twisted it around, forcing me flat on my chest again.

"You're a fiesty one, I'll give you that much." I heard him chuckle. "I like that in a woman." I felt his hand grab hold of my wrist and I felt my arm being twisted behind me. "Since you're giving me so much trouble, I'll have to deal with you, but how?" I think that was when I began to feel genuine fear about this guy. Last time we fought, he had tried to strip me. I had been saved by Professor Elm, but he wasn't here now. His voice was also becoming very sinister, almost crazy sounding. "Oh, I know." I heard something hit the ground, I could only guess it was the egg case.

I then felt a hand grab onto my shorts. Once again, he dropped my shorts down, but that wasn't enough. No, instead of just pulling them down, he pulled them right off. "There's no one here to save you this time."

"I don't need anyone to save me, bastard!" I tried to shift and felt one of my legs free itself from under him. I quickly swung it around, kicking him square in the face. I felt his grip immediately release, and I jumped to my feet. "Now, give me that egg."

"Like hell." Silver snatched the egg back up, and I quickly tried to snatch it back. I pushed him to the ground and the egg rolled away. I quickly rushed to collect it, but I felt the boy grab hold of my leg. "You...are really...getting...on my nerves..." he hissed. His hand gripped my jacket again, and I tried to pull away.

"What's going on over there?" I heard a voice call out.

"Shit!" The boy jumped to his feet and took off, leaving me lying on the ground.

It was only a moment before Officer Jenny appeared on the scene. Officer Jenny is the head cop of Cherrygrove City. In fact, the head cop of every city is an Officer Jenny. They all look very similar, having the same blue hair and all wearing the same blue police uniform. "Are you all right?"

Am I all right? I had to honestly ask myself that as I stared at her. I was half stripped AGAIN, beaten up a bit, and the egg I was sent to collect could easily be scrambled by now. Did it seem like I was all right? "Yes," I sighed and fixed my jacket. Luckily, all he had gotten off me was my shorts.

"Are these yours?" Officer Jenny held out my shorts.

"Yes." I quickly snatched them up and pulled them on. Now that the fight was over, it was a little embarrassing to be in my panties.

"Who was that kid?"

"I wish I knew..." I sighed and went to pick the egg up when I noticed something else. A small photo ID card was sitting on the ground next to the egg. It must have fallen out during the fight. When I picked it up, I noticed it was his. "Says his name is 'Silver'." Silver...who calls their kids 'Silver'? It's about as bad as Red, Green, and Blue from that one Pokemon manga.

Officer Jenny snatched the card out of my hands, then tore it in half without a thought. "It's fake, and I bet the name on it is, too." Wait...did she really just do that? She tore up someone's ID card without a thought? Wait...she did say it was fake. I inquired about that. "That's right. I'm guessing he made it himself. Probably didn't earn his ID, so he forged one instead."

"Makes sense why he knew nothing about Pokemon." I turned back to the egg. I carefully lifted it up, inspecting it for damage. After seeing a small crack on the case, I opened the case and pulled the egg itself out. "Good, no damage." I gave a sigh of relief and placed it back in the case.

"I'm sorry about that."

I waved my hands. "No, it's not your fault, Officer Jenny. I'll be fine as long as he gets caught soon."

Officer Jenny nodded. "We'll definitely do our best to catch him."

I smiled and turned away. "Thank you." I had to hurry. I needed to get back to Professor Elm's!

"Professor, I'm back!" I shouted as I opened the door to his lab.

"Ah ha!" I heard a voice shout which made me jump. "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" I noticed the voice was coming from a police officer who was standing next to Elm. "You must be the one who stole it!"

"What?!" I shouted. "I didn't steal anything!"

The door flew open again as Ethan stumbled in. "She's telling the truth! The kid who stole the Pokemon was some ginger kid with long hair. I thought he was a girl at first..."

"Wait...a ginger kid stole something?" I turned to Ethan as I asked that. "What was stolen?"

"A Totodile, ma'am," the officer spoke up.

"A Totodile?" I almost screamed. "I just fought a ginger kid with a Totodile. Looked almost exactly like Professor Elm's, too. Silver! That's what his trainer card said his name was."

"Silver, eh?" The officer wrote something down in a notebook. "All right then, I'll check this out, then." He tipped his hat. "Good day, everyone." He then walked out.

I just...stared. That was really all I could do. He seemed so non-chalant about learning who the culprit was. "Thanks, Ethan," I spoke with a sigh.

"For what?"

"Coming to my rescue...essentially."

"No problem." Ethan smiled. "Well, I'm off." He turned and left. Had that really been all he had been here for? Just to say I wasn't the culprit? Well, I guess that was still nice of him. I turned and walked to Professor Elm.

"Sorry about that..." Elm slouched down into a chair. He looked absolutely hideous.

"No problem. Just take a break." I smiled and sat down in another chair. After a few moments, Elm recomposed himself and he stood to his feet.

"Sorry... What was it Mr. Pokemon had for me?"

I held out the egg. "He says its somehow special."

"Special? Odd...it looks like any other Pokemon egg." Elm took the egg and sat it on a table. "Thank you, Kotone, I'll look into this."

"Your welcome, Professor." I stood up. "Oh! I got to meet Professor Oak as well. He gave me a Pokedex." I pulled the pokedex out and showed it to him.

"R-really now?" Elm seemed to take on a paniced expression from that. I stared at him for a moment, wondering if something was wrong. After a moment, though, he cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Sorry...if Professor Oak gave you that, he must think you have great potential."

"That's what he said."

Elm nodded and took on a serious expression. "Then it's settled! You must take the Pokemon League Challenge!"

"What?!" I shouted. Elm, you don't make decisions for people just like that! That's what I was thinking, anyway.

"If Oak thinks you have the kind of potential to give you a Pokedex, then you have to be able to do it. Besides, it's what you wanted, right? To see the world?"

"I guess that's right, and challenging the League would get me that. But I have to get the eight badges first..." I sighed and shrugged. "Why the hell not? I'll give it a shot."

Elm smiled. "Then you'll need some pokeballs." Elm pulled out some pokeballs from his pocket and handed them to me. "Now, you're ready. Good luck, Kotone."

I smiled and took the balls. "Thank you, Professor." I turned to the door and opened it. When the door opened, I had a new sense of purpose, a new desire to be strong. You could say, that was when my journey really began. All right, Pokemon League, watch out, cause I'm coming!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"This is it, Blaze, we're back on Route 29," I spoke as I stared out at the route in front of me. "Let's try not to get lost this time..." I quickly checked my pokegear to be certain it was working, it was. "You ready?"

Blaze rose up on her hind legs and her back ignited as she gave out a happy sounding "Cyndaquil!"

"Good." I reached down and scooped her up, setting her on my shoulder. "Let's get going then." We stepped forward onto Route 29, but we had barely taken any steps before I heard a voice.

"Marill!" It was Ethan's Marill and she was charging straight at me.

"Cynda-QUIL!" Blaze unleashed a small burst of embers which stunned Marill more then they hurt her.

"Marill!" Ethan shouted as he rushed up to the stunned Pokemon. "You can't keep running away like that...I know you like Kotone, but still..."

"For the hundredth time, she hates me," I spoke very flatly.

Ethan shook his head. "I don't know...if she did, why would she run to you all the time?"

"She tackles me, Ethan. If she liked me, she wouldn't keep trying to attack me."

"Don't some people do that, though? They tackle people they like?"

I shook my head. "That's a glomp, not a full blown tackle."

"I still think you just don't understand her."

I sighed. "Whatever."

There was silence for a moment as he both stared away from each other, trying to think of something else to say. "So, how did your meeting with Professor Elm go?"

"Good. He said he'd be looking the egg over for the next couple days."

"So that's what you got? A Pokemon egg?"

I nodded. "It was quite an adventure, too."

"How so?" he asked. I made me think for a moment. Did I need to tell him everything about it? Sure, why the hell not. I told him everything that had happened from the start of the day till this point, which was now about midday. "That's...wow...So this Silver guy really did all of that?"

I nodded. "Yeap, would have done more if it hadn't been for Elm and Officer Jenny."

Ethan sighed. "Some guys...they make the rest of us guys look bad. I mean, we're not all out for sex, you know?"

"Some less then others, I'd say." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself close to him. He seemed to become a bit nervous at that.

"I-I just think it should only be done with people you really like is all."

"And what if someone really liked you and wanted to do it?"

Surprisingly, he didn't blush, he just looked away. "I-I would still need to really like them back."

"What if it was me?" Why the hell did I just ask that?

Ethan still didn't blush, but instead, he closed his eyes, grabbed my arms, and lowered them. "You're a friend, Kotone...I wouldn't want to ruin that."

"So, because we're just friends, you'd never fuck me?"

"Y-yes."

Well, he had a point. I mean, it's probably not a good idea to have random sex with just any friend of yours. On the other hand, I had always considered Ethan and I a little more then just friends. "What if I just wanted to be your girlfriend?" Straight forward and to the point...great job, Kotone...great job...

"I-I don't know...I mean, you're a really close friend. We've been friends since we were kids. I don't think I'd want to ruin that."

So, he wouldn't want to be in a relationship with a friend? Or does he mean he just doesn't want to be in a relationship with me? I shrugged. "Well, it's not like I'm saying I want to or anything. I was just curious." Big, fat, hairy lie.

"Of course," Ethan stated very non-chalantly.

"But, of course, there's nothing wrong with friends hugging on occassion, right?" I asked that question as I once again wrapped my arms around his neck.

"N-no."

I pressed my entire body against him, trying to be as close to him as possible. I figured it would make him at least blush a little, but instead, he just stared at me. "You're boring." I let go of him and stepped away.

"Boring? How so?"

"I'm making advances on you and you're not even reacting! It's boring!"

"H-how would you expect me to react?"

"I'd expect you'd at least blush or something."

Ethan sighed. "Sorry..." I felt his arms wrap around my stomach. "I'm weird, I know..."

I smiled. "Weird is never a bad thing." I didn't want to move away at that point, and I hoped he wouldn't let go, but of course, with all things, they must end eventually. He let go of me and I turned to him.

"So, what are your plans now?"

"I'm off to Violet City for the first gym."

"Challenging gyms, huh? Be careful, the trainers in the Pokemon League are very strong. They won't be defeated so simply."

"Of course, that's the point of the gyms, to prepare you for it."

Ethan nodded. "You'll also need more than just your little Cyndaquil, too. That means catching more Pokemon."

"I can catch Pokemon just fine! That test at the school was just set up so I couldn't pass." It was, too, or at least I insisted it was. As I explained earlier, you had to pass four tests to become a Pokemon Trainer. I passed three, but if you recall, I stated that I failed to catch a Pokemon during the test. Well, let me explain that a bit more.

. . .

It was the final test, and I stood in the small grass arena that they use for all of the battle and catching tests. I was standing on one side of the arena, while a school official was at the other side. "Are you ready, Kotone?" the official called out.

"Ready!" I pulled out the pokeball they had given me. Inside of it was a Nidoran, the female version to be specific. Why does that matter? Well, Nidoran come in two kinds: Male, which are purple and have long horns, and Female, which are blue with smaller horns. Both creatures have large heads and small bodies, and the males have much larger ears then the females do. They both also have many small points that come off their body, all of which are poisonous to touch. I tossed the pokeball forward, releasing my pokemon.

"This is your test. Misdreavus!"

Misdreavus? They were making me fight a ghost type? I believe I said it before, but the Pokemon you face is dependant upon how well you did on your previous exams. Ghost types, well...I had never heard of anyone fighting a ghost type before, at least not as the creature they were expected to capture as their starter. I balled up my hands as the small gray ghost appeared in front of me. Despite the fact the Pokemon can be male or female, it has a very feminine look to its face. It also wears a very gaudy necklace made up of rubies around its neck, and below that, its body just kind of fades away.

"This is your challenge!"

I felt the eyes of the entire school on me, and I froze up. To be fighting a ghost-type as your starter...that was definitely unheard of. Ghost-types are powerful, but beyond that, they're tricky as well. Even great trainers have trouble catching them. "All right, Nidoran, let's do this! Poison Sting!" Nidoran rushed forward and stabbed the Misdreavus with its horn, but it barely even reacted. Instead, it smiled and its eyes flashed a deep red. The next thing I knew, Nidoran was lashing out all around her.

"Nidoran!" I shouted. That must have been a Confuse Ray. "Nidoran, shrug it off and give it another Poison Sting!" Nidoran turned to the Misdreavus and rushed forward, only to trip over its own feet and collapse to the ground. "Nidoran!"

"Mis..." the Misdreavus spoke quietly and floated over Nidoran. Its eyes began to glow and a wave of psychic energy flowed out from it. Nidoran roared as its power drained from it, and after a moment, it stopped moving.

"Nidoran!" I rushed forward and picked up my Pokemon. "This isn't fair!" I shouted. "Ghost types are too powerful for a beginner like me. You also gave me a poison-type which are weak to Psychic moves, and that was clearly Psywave!"

The official shrugged. "It was what you were assigned. If you cannot catch it, you will fail the test."

I turned angrily to the Misdreavus and drew out a pokeball. "I'll catch your damn ghost, then!" I tossed the ball...and promptly missed. I dropped to my knees. There was no way, just no way.

. . .

And that was it, I had failed the test, plain and simple. Not only had I failed the test, but I hadn't even been given a chance to succeed in the first place. How was I supposed to fight with a Poison-type, which Ghost-types are resistant to? Not only that, it knew Psywave! I was weak to that! I had to have been set up. I just had to have!

"It did seem a little unfair," Ethan spoke in reply to what I had previously said. "But do you think you would have done any better against anything else?"

"Yes! And I can prove it, too!" I turned and noticed a small Sentret walking by. A Sentret is a squirrel-like creature with a long brown and cream stripped tail. It's body is circular, and it has a large cream underbelly. "Watch! Blaze, Ember!" Blaze unleashed a burst of embers on the Sentret, who immediately retaliated by charging and slamming head-first into Blaze. "It wants to Tackle? Fine! Tackle it back!" Blaze rushed forward, slamming hard into the Sentret's chest, which made it roll back a bit.

"Not bad so far," Ethan responded.

"Just keep watching." I drew out a pokeball. "Go, pokeball!" I tossed the pokeball forward...and promptly missed. "What?!"

Ethan burst out laughing. "Your aim is just as bad as it was against Misdreavus."

I growled and pulled out another ball. I tossed it up into the air, and as it came down I shut my eyes. I whirled around, swinging one of my legs forward, striking the pokeball. The ball flew forward, striking the Sentret square in the chest. The ball opened and the Sentret was absorbed into the ball. I smirked. "What was that about bad aim?"

Ethan stared, completely speechless. "How did you...when did you...WHAT?!" he shouted.

I giggled. "Looks like I caught a Sentret." I walked over and picked the ball up. "Come on out, little guy." I tossed the ball forward, releasing the Sentret from its ball. It quickly scurried up my leg and onto my shoulder and cooed lightly. "So, what should I name you, little guy?"

"Foamy!" Ethan piped up. "That would be perfect!"

I groaned. Foamy the Sentret is a web show someone does of a Sentret who spouts obscene language, and yells at everyone. Apparently Ethan finds it hilarious, but it's really not. "I'm not naming my Sentret after such a horrendous character from an even worse show."

"But Foamy is funny."

"Not in the slightest."

"Oh come on, not even a little?"

"No!" I spoke up as I turned to him. "Not in the slightest! All he does on his show is berate people, calling them stupid and telling them they shouldn't even exist. If I recall right, he even tells people to shoot themselves on multiple occasions. That is not funny! Death is not funny! People killing themselves is definitely not funny!"

Ethan looked away. "Well...when you put it that way..." He sighed. His eyes then went wide. "Oh! A Rattata! You should catch it!"

"Ember!" I shouted and Blaze unleashed a blast of embers at the Rattata. Through our training on Route 30, Blaze and I had learned how to scare off Rattatas with ease, and as soon as Blaze attacked, this one took off at a run.

"Aww, why didn't you catch it?"

"Because it's a Rattata, Ethan! I don't do rats."

"But it gets super strong once it evolves into Raticate."

"Don't care. I don't want one on my team now, and I never want one on my team."

"But-"

"NO!" I shouted so loudly it made Ethan jump. He then promptly tripped and fell over. "Sorry..." I bent down and reached my hand out to him. Ethan's eyes went wide and he seemed to stare at me. "Well, aren't you going to take my hand so I can help you up?"

"I...umm..." Ethan was clearly not paying attention to my hand. In fact, what was he paying attention to? I followed the path of his eyes, then realized that in this position he could see right down my shirt. I turned a deep shade of red and quickly covered myself.

"Pervert!" I kicked him and whirled around.

"S-sorry..." I heard Ethan whimper. That was the most Ethan had ever seen of me. He had never gotten a chance to see down my shirt like that before, but the strange part is, I always wished he had. In fact, I had always thought it would be fun to see him react to being able to see my boobs. Yet, when he had, he didn't react the way I had expected. For that matter, I hadn't reacted the way I had expected. And then...something came over me. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt suddenly very different. My body was suddenly wishing that could happen again, wishing he could see more.

The next thing I knew, I had grabbed the straps of my shirt and pulled them down, letting my entire shirt drop to the ground. I then turned back to him, my face beat red. Ethan had just gotten to his feet when I did, and with that, I noticed something. A faint red blush was now on his face, the first blush I had ever seen from him. It had taken me getting half naked in front of him before I had achieved that. Somehow, that fueled my desires.

I began to step closer to him, and as I did, I dropped my shorts to the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his. "You're finally blushing."

"A-and you're almost naked."

I smirked. "Why only 'almost'?" I moved my hands down, and with that, my last bit of clothing, my panties, slipped to the ground. I then looked back up at him and stared into his eyes. "I want you, Ethan." I said that so bluntly because I felt like I had lost all of my inhibitions. I felt free, free to do whatever I wanted to do. It was like that feeling you get when you're drunk, but unlike that, I knew very well what I was doing, I just didn't know why I was doing it.

"K-Kotone, I..." I didn't let Ethan say anything more. I grabbed his jacket and began to slowly unzip it. I then pulled it off of him, then began to move down. I grabbed his pants and pulled them down, then I grabbed hold of his underwear and slipped them down. All he had now was his black shirt, and I looked up at him. I really had no idea what had come over me, but my desires were growing with every move I made. I stood back to my feet, then pushed him over, lying him flat on the ground.

"I love you, Ethan," were the words I spoke as I knelt down on top of him. I grabbed hold of him, then slowly slid myself down onto him. You know, when it's a person's first time, people will refer to that as "popping your cherry" or some such thing. I want to know why, because it didn't feel like no "pop". It felt like a part of me was being ripped apart. I screamed.

I think that scared Ethan, to be honest. He quickly moved to take himself out after that, and he backed away from me. "Kotone..." he started, but that was all that came out. I...I was crying. It had hurt, much more then I had expected it to. I hadn't expected anything like that at all, to be honest, and I had just broken down. Not only that, but I was crying because I had done that without really understanding why. Yes, I wanted him, but it had never been that bad before. Why had I done that? What was wrong with me?

I don't think Ethan knew how to react, because after a moment passed, I saw him run down Route 29, leaving me behind. Blaze and Sentret both tried to comfort me, but even I didn't know what was going on anymore, and I think that scared me more then anything.

. . .

Several minutes had now passed, likely about an hour or so. I had continued travelling down Route 29, making my way closer to Cherrygrove City. It was somewhere around the edge of the city when I caught another member of my team. Her name was Sadia, and she was a Pidgey. Pidgey, of course, is a small brown bird Pokemon with two sets of feathers that come off its beak and over its eyes similar to eyebrows. Those, along with a few feathers on its wing tips and its underbelly are all a cream color. She seemed like a pretty intelligent bird, too, but that wasn't really the reason I caught her. The main reason was just the fact she was a bird, and I could use a bird Pokemon on my team.

It should be mentioned, I ended up catching her the same way. I seem to be incapable of catching Pokemon with the usual method, throwing a ball. However, everytime I've tried to kick the ball, I've not only hit the Pokemon with the ball, but also caught it. I don't understand why, it seems to be the oddest method for catching Pokemon, but hey, it works, so I won't complain. With that, I now had three Pokemon on my team, which meant only needing to get three more for a full team. Of course, I knew simply catching the first six Pokemon I see wouldn't create a balanced team, but hey, a team is a team.

I gave a sigh of relaxation when we finally reached Cherrygrove City. It was still the afternoon, and I was already tired. I knew I'd need to stop and relax soon, probably for the rest of the day. "Who wants to go to the beach?" I asked and turned to my team. They cheered about as well as you can expect Pokemon to. "All right, then." I gave a thumbs up, and we headed to the beach.

Cherrygrove City actually has a small beach on the western side of the city. It's a public beach, so lots of people tend to go there. There was, of course, an area to change at in case of Pokemon Trainers who weren't wearing their bathing suits already. Of course, not everyone who did use it was a trainer, but that was the main usage. As I wasn't wearing mine yet, I headed there first. I tossed on a simple red bikini, once again my favorite of my bathing suits. If you haven't guessed by now, my favorite color is red. I'm not going to into any detail on the bikini, though. I'm sure you're already thinking naughty enough thoughts as it is.

I laid a towel down on the beach, then pulled out a pair of red-framed sunglasses. I pulled them on, then laid back on the towel. "Finally, a chance to relax..." I sighed. I couldn't believe how much stress I had gone through already in just one day. I wondered if every day was going to be like this or not; I hoped not. As I closed my eyes, though, I began to hear shouting coming from nearby. I sat up and pulled my sunglasses down to get a better glimpse. It was some kid dressed in a yellow shirt and blue jeans. He had his hat on backwards, probably thinking it made him look "cool". He sounded angry about something.

Meh...whatever, let his parents deal with him. I laid back down. "Hey!" I heard him shout. I didn't think he was talking to me, so I ignored him. "Hey, you!" I was going to continue ignoring him until he stepped right above me.

"Can I help you?"

"Our eyes met! That means we have to battle!"

I pulled my sunglasses off and stared at him. "What now?"

"The Pokemon Trainer Code!"

Pokemon Trainer Code? The fuck was he talking about? "Look, kid, I went to the Pokemon Trainer School in Violet City, and I don't know anything about a 'Trainer Code'."

The boy cleared his throat. "The Trainer Code is an unwritten law. It states that any time two trainers lock eyes, they have to battle. And you can't run away or refuse the challenge, either."

Kid sure talked intelligent for being...what...eight? I don't even know. "Whatever, kid." I put my sunglasses back on. "Can you leave me alone? I'm trying to relax."

"My name isn't 'kid', it's Joey. Youngster Joey."

'Youngster' was right. He definitely wasn't that old at all. "Well, Joey, it's been nice meeting you. Bye." I waved to him.

"Rattata!" Joey shouted and his purple rat jumped at me, pouncing on my stomach.

"What's the big idea?!" I shouted as I quickly pulled my sunglasses off and whirled around so I was sitting on my knees.

"Trainer Code." Joey smiled.

"You know what? Fine, whatever, if I battle you, will you go the fuck away?"

Joey nodded.

"Fine! Blaze, Ember!" Blaze rushed forward and unleashed a blast of embers at Joey's Rattata. The Rattata flinched, but seemed mostly unaffected.

"See that? My Rattata is awesome. It's like he's in the..." Joey pulled out a pair of sunglasses and tossed them on. "Top percentage of Rattata." He kicked his head back and starting shouting "YEAH!"

I groaned. "Blaze...please, just knock it out for me with a Tackle attack." Blaze charged forward again, slamming into the Rattata. The attack sent the rat tumbling head over heels a few feet. "It's still fighting?" I asked as I watched it stand up.

"Told you! Top percentage!"

"Fuck your top percentage! Sadia, give it the biggest damn Gust you can give it." Sadia flew into the air, then begun to summon a small whirlwind. The whirlwind grew larger and larger until Sadia unleashed it on the small rat. I watched the rat swirl up into the air before being flung twelve or so feet away. Before it could move again, Sadia blasted it with a large gust of winds, sending it flying halfway across town. "That's what I think of your damn Rattata."

"Wow!" Joey shouted. "You're awesome! Even so, I know my Rattata could still beat any of your other Pokemon." He put the sunglasses away. "Can I have your number to call you for a rematch?"

Did...did he seriously just ask that? Some eight year old kid wants the phone number of some adult he doesn't even know JUST so he can get a rematch later? Whatever...I doubted he even had a pokegear, so I agreed. I was right, he didn't have a pokegear. Instead he had a...cell phone...seriously...who even uses those anymore? I typed my number into his cell phone, then added his number into my pokegear. "There, now will you leave me alone?"

"Yeap!" Joey skipped off. That's right, he skipped off. Seriously, what was this kid on? I groaned and laid back down on the towel. I just wanted to relax.

RING RING! The hell? I looked at my pokegear. "The fuck do you want Joey?" I shouted when I answered it.

"Just reminding you that my Rattata is top percentage."

"FUCK YOU!" I shouted and turned my pokegear off. That's right, I didn't just hang up, I physically turned the whole damn thing off. Little did I know, this was only the start of the annoyance that would be "Youngster Joey".


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I'll be completely honest with you. My journey through Route 30 and then again across Route 31 was horribly boring. I had a few trainer battles along the way, but there's no way I'm going to tell you the events about every last trainer I fought on my journey. Something like that would be ridiculous. Of course, if the trainer battles are important to the overall story, then I'll go into them, as I did earlier, but otherwise I'm not going to bother.

However, I will make note that the entire time I trained hard. My Pokemon became stronger with each battle, whether it was battles against wild Pokemon or trainers, we grew stronger. It was after a good while that we came to Violet City. Now, Violet City, for those who are not aware, is actually a fairly old city. Some of the buildings have been around for a century or so, and those that weren't are designed to look as if they were. The city is also known as Violet City because the roofs of the city are all violet in color.

"We're finally here," I spoke as I sighed, staring at the city. I was tired. It had taken several hours of walking and battling wild Pokemon and trainers to get there, but we had finally arrived. Blaze, Mark, and Sadia were still all standing by my side. "I'm glad we took that rest in Cherrygrove City now."

Ring! Ring! My pokegear went off. As soon as it did, my hands balled into fists and I slowly rose my arm to look at the name on the pokegear. It was him. For the tenth time since we had left Cherrygrove City, he was calling me. "What the hell do you want, Joey?" I shouted into my pokegear after pressing the "answer" button.

"Hey, Kotone!" Joey spoke up. "You remember my Rattata, right?"

"How could I not?" I asked through grinding teeth. "You've only called me about it ten times in the last three hours!"

"Well, hey, I think my Rattata is different from other Rattata, you know? It's like it's in the top percentage of Rattata."

Yeah...that was pretty much all he ever had to say every time he called. "Joey...for the last time...I don't care about your stupid Rattata!"

"All right, I'll call you later!" Joey hung up the phone and all I could do was smack my forehead into the nearest solid object, which happened to be a lamppost.

"Why won't he just shut up?" I felt Sadia land on my shoulder and gently nuzzle against me. I smiled and pet her. "Thanks, Sadia, you always know how to cheer me up. Too bad I can't understand you guys." I kind of always wished I could understand Pokemon. I loved Pokemon a lot, but it always annoyed me how they couldn't speak in a language humans could understand. What I never did understand was how they each only speak by saying their name, yet they can all understand each other perfectly.

I sighed and stepped further into Violet City. Now, don't be confused by the name. Violet City isn't really that big. It's like Cherrygrove City isn't all that big, this one was bigger, but still nothing compared to a metropolis like either Saffron City in Kanto, or Goldenrod City in Johto. Any other "city" in either Kanto or Johto pales in comparison to them, and even Saffron is small compared to the monster of a city that Goldenrod is.

Of course, this isn't Goldenrod, this is Violet City. There's no enormous buildings here, unless you consider Sprout Tower, but even that pales in comparison to the size of the Goldenrod Radio Tower. Of course, even that pales in comparison to the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City, but we'll get to that at a much later time.

I was here with a mission. If I was going to take on the Pokemon League Challenge, I would need to find the Violet City Gym. So, that's exactly what I set out to do. I stuffed my hands in pockets, feeling like I could finally really relax, then began to walk. Blaze quickly scurried up onto the top of my hat, while Sadia flew next to me. Mark enjoyed walking alongside me, and I didn't complain, I didn't think my body had anymore spots for Pokemon to climb on me anyway.

We walked for several minutes as we noticed the various stores and the Pokemon Center. We even passed by a school for upcoming Pokemon Trainers. It made me stop and think back to when Ethan and I were going there just a few days ago. Our teacher was some guy that couldn't even talk right. "Learn to catch Pokemon, you will. Train you, I must." That's how he always talked, not even joking. It was like something from that one really famous movie series...what was it again? I don't remember.

He liked to teach, and he was good at it. In the end, even though he did talk funny, I guess that's what was important. I turned away from the school and began to continue my way further into Violet City.

Finally, I had come upon it, the Violet City Gym. It was pretty obvious it was the gym as it was very out of place in the city. All gyms had to meet a certain code that the Pokemon Association put together. As such, they all looked almost exactly identical. A large square building with a dome-like roof. Its walls were brown in color, and it had a set of automatic sliding doors as the entrance. I stepped towards the doors, but didn't realize that they weren't opening until it was too late.

SMACK! I walked right into the doors and fell backwards. "What the...why didn't the doors open?" I asked as I looked up at the doors. There was darkness beyond the doors.

"Another trainer seeking to try the Violet City Gym?" I heard a voice asked and I turned. There was a boy there, no older then me. He had blue hair that he kept combed forward and it kind of reminded me of a bird's hairdo. I don't know why. He wore a sort of kimono, one made for guys. It was the same blue color as his hair. It was all very traditional, which was standard in Violet City. Everyone dressed traditionally, just like the buildings were built traditionally. The boy had kind of a serious tone to his voice as well.

"Yes, my name is Kotone."

"Let me help you up, Kotone." The boy reached out for my hand and helped me up. "My name is Falkner. My father is the Gym Leader here."

"Really?" I got excited. "Could you tell him that I'm here to challenge him?"

Falkner shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Not possible?" I stared at him, confused. "Why not?"

"My father passed some time ago."

I gasped and put my hands over my mouth. "Oh..." I looked down. "I'm sorry..."

"It's no problem. You didn't know." Falkner turned away. "Since my father passed, it has fallen to me to keep the gym going. Before that, though, I had to pass the Pokemon Association's Gym Leader Test. The gym's re-opening will be tomorrow. I would like you as my first opponent, if you dare." With those last words, he turned to me, giving me a cold glare.

I didn't falter, though, I knew Gym Leaders were serious business, and their biggest trick was to intimidate you into giving up. After all, if they could intimidate you, there was no need to fight, which meant you lost the battle before it even began. "I'll definitely come by tomorrow."

"Good." Falkner turned away and pointed towards Sprout Tower. "If you would like to train, I hear Sprout Tower is having a challenge. Winner gets some kind of special prize."

"Really?" I turned to Sprout Tower. It was a big tower, about three stories or so. It, just like every other building here, was built very traditionally. In fact, I think the tower was the oldest thing in the city. "I just might give it a try, then."

"A word of caution. I hear the tower has been infested with the ghosts of the dead Pokemon who fail the challenge."

"Wait, what? What do you mean? Pokemon can't die in battle...can they?"

"In every battle where a Pokemon faints, there is a thirty percent chance of that Pokemon dying. The trainers in Sprout Tower have found a way to increase those odds. Those who lose to them lose their Pokemon."

"Is that even legal?" I shouted. That didn't sound right at all.

Falkner nodded. "It is not the fault of the trainer being battled if a Pokemon dies. That is the fault of the trainer who trained that Pokemon. If that trainer fails to train their Pokemon right, they may die." He shrugged. "It's the way things are." I had heard cold talk before, but this guy...this Falkner...his voice was just cold and his words were uncaring. "If you cannot defeat the Sprout Tower Challenge, you have no worth challenging me."

I made a fist and held it up. "I will defeat that Challenge!"

Falkner looked at me. "Then prove it."

"I will!" I quickly stormed towards Sprout Tower and kicked the door open. "I'm here to take the challenge!" I shouted.

"Are you?" a man in a gray robe asked, stepping over to me. "Then come inside."

The inside of Sprout Tower was actually fairly interesting. There were wooden fences that separated the different portions of the challenge and ladders that lead up and down the floors so you could access everything. In the center of the tower was a large square pillar. I noticed that the pillar itself was slowly swaying back and forth. "What does that mean? When the pillar sways?" I asked.

"It means battling is going on ahead."

"Why is there a pillar in the middle of the tower, anyway?"

"They say there was a one-hundred foot Bellsprout and it became the pillar."

"A one-hundred foot- that's insane! How would such a Pokemon become so tall?"

"No one knows. It is a legend, after all."

I was not satisfied with the man's answer, but I let it go. "So, how do I begin this challenge?"

"Climb the ladder before you," the man spoke, waving to a ladder that led up to the next floor. "Follow the path and you will find yourself in the challenge."

"Is it true what I heard? That Pokemon are known to die in this challenge?"

The man looked down for a moment before turning to me. "My dear, there is no greater truth. The monks believe that if you are not strong enough, you have no right to train your Pokemon. As such, they will show no mercy."

"That's disgusting!" I shouted. "Who gives them the right to determine such things?"

"It is you who give them such rights. By accepting the challenge, you agree that they are right."

I bit my lip as I turned to my Pokemon. "What do you guys think?" Mark nodded with a rather serious look and Sadia chirped as if she was ready to fight. Blaze was the only one who didn't respond, and I think that was because she was scared. I pet her gently and smiled. "Everything will be all right." Blaze looked at me for a moment before nodding in agreement. "All right, then, we'll do it."

"Then proceed up the ladder."

I nodded, turned to the ladder, took a deep breath, then climbed up. When I did, I was surprised to find that I didn't see much up there at all. The second floor of the tower was almost completely empty. That is until another man dressed in robes stepped up to me. "So, you are the new challenger?" he asked.

I nodded. "I'm here to take the Sprout Tower Challenge."

"And you understand your Pokemon may die in this fight?"

"I do."

"Then let us begin." The man pulled a pokeball from his robes and held it forward. "All right, Bellsprout, let's do this!" He tossed the ball forward releasing a plant-like Pokemon. It looked sort of like a flower in that it had a stalk with a couple leaves and a flower-like head that seemed to be shaped like a bell.

"Bellsprout, huh?" I smiled. "This'll be easy." I looked at Blaze and pet her. "Hey, want to take out that plant for me with your flames?" Blaze's eyes seemed to sparkle when I asked that. I think she was excited that I was actually wanting her to set something on fire. She immediately jumped off my shoulder. "Then let's do it! Blaze, Ember!"

Blaze opened her mouth and unleashed a swirl of embers from her mouth. The embers struck the plant Pokemon and set its leaves on fire. It began to squirm as more of its body became covered in flames, and soon it collapsed.

"Bellsprout!" the man shouted. "You...you wiped out my Bellsprout!"

"Well, that's what happens when a fire-type fights a grass-type."

"You are strong..." the man spoke and held out his pokeball. "Bellsprout return." The front of the pokeball began to glow and soon a beam of energy absorbed Bellsprout into the ball. "You are stronger then I. Please, proceed."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I...don't know if I'm really stronger then you...It's mostly that I used a fire-type."

"Please proceed!" the man almost shouted at me.

"All right, all right, I'm going!" I stepped passed him and under my breath said "Yeesh...some people."

I'll be completely honest at this point. The Sprout Tower Challenge was, in fact, a waste. The tower was filled with about six of these robed guys. I just started calling them "monks" since they were kinda dressed like them. Every one of them...every last Arceus damned one of them had nothing but Bellsprout! By the time I had reached the top of the tower, and I had faced the last trainer before the leader, I had gotten sick and tired of seeing Bellsprout.

"You have but one last challenge," the final monk spoke as he returned the third Bellsprout in his party. "Only our leader is ahead now. Alas, he is currently engaged in battle."

"Is he?" I looked passed the guy to see the open room ahead of me. I could see him, another monk-like guy, but much older. He had a beard, unlike the others, and it was gray. I could only assume the guy was in his eighties by his hunched over stance. It was then that I saw...him.

"Silver!" I shouted and pushed passed the monk to get to the room.

Silver turned, giving me a cold glare. "You did well," the old monk spoke up. They had obviously just finished their battle as the Totodile Silver had stolen was still out. "However, you fight too aggressively. You cannot rely entirely on brute-force. You must respect your Pokemon and treat them as your friends."

Silver turned back to the old man and chuckled. "Seriously? You want me to be friends with these creatures?" He laughed. "How pathetic. You must have gone senile in your old age."

Wait a minute...how the hell did Silver get up here? All they had were Arceus-damned Bellsprout! Totodile, a water-type Pokemon, should have been wiped out by them! What the hell?

"If you treat your Pokemon with respect, earn their trust, and treat them as your friends, their full power will be unlocked."

"Feh, whatever you say, old man." Silver turned and stepped up to me. "So, the girl appears before me again." He smirked. "So, what are we going to fight about this time?" He got really close to me and grabbed my shirt. "And will it lead to me stripping you again?"

I punched him.

"Get your Arceus damn hands off of me!" I shouted.

Silver chuckled at first, but then he began to laugh. "I forgot how feisty you are! Please, come at me! I'd love to kick your ass again."

"You've never kicked my ass!"

"Haven't I? I seem to recall pinning you down at Professor Elm's, and again in Cherrygrove. Didn't you have to get rescued both times?"

"Shut the fuck up!" I punched him again, but this time my fist didn't connect to his face, it connected to his hand. He had grabbed my punch!

"You're not even worse my time. Besides..." Silver grabbed my wrist and spun me around, locking my hand behind my back. I felt him creep his face up to my ear. "It's a little too public here. Maybe next time we'll have some fun." He chuckled and pushed me down. I then felt his foot push into my back. "Later, girl."

"It's Kotone!"

"Whatever." Silver shrugged then walked off.

I stood to my feet to follow him, but the old man called out, "Stop, that's enough."

I turned, very angry. "What? You saw what he did to me!"

"Yes. Fighting will only lead to more fighting. Best to stop fighting when you can."

I growled, but he had a point. "Fine..." I sighed and stepped over to the old man. "You're the leader of this challenge, yes?"

The old man nodded. "I am."

"So if I beat you, I'll be done with this challenge?"

"You will be."

"Awesome. Let's go, then, Blaze." Blaze jumped forward, ready to fight some more Bellsprouts. Sure enough, the old man started out with a Bellsprout. "Blaze, Ember!" Blaze unleashed a swirl of embers upon the Bellsprout, but much to my surprise, it didn't affect it the way it had the others. The Bellsprout stood strong against the attack.

"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip." Two long vines extended from the Bellsprout's leaves. It rushed forward and quickly spun. The vines struck Blaze hard.

"Blaze!" I shouted. That was a grass-type attack, but it had done much more then it should have. This Bellsprout was obviously much stronger then the rest in the tower. "Give it another Ember!"

Blaze unleashed another swirl of embers, but the old man smirked. "Bellsprout, dodge it by using Vine Whip." The Bellsprout threw its vines upwards, grabbing onto the ceiling of the tower. It pulled itself up and soon was in the rafters.

"What?" I shouted, surprised to see such a move.

"Pokemon battles are more then just calling out attacks. Bellsprout, use Vine Whip again, but target the Sentret."

"My Sentret? But he's not even in the battle!"

It didn't matter, the Bellsprout threw one of its vines straight down, striking Mark right off my shoulder. "Young lady, any Pokemon you have out is considered to be in the battle."

"But that's not in the rules of Pokemon Battling!"

"No, but it's in the rules of our challenge. Bellsprout, Vine Whip the Pidgey!"

"Sadia, counter with Gust!" I shouted quickly and Sadia jumped off my shoulder and began to quickly flap its wings, creating a gust of wind that pushed away the vine that was aimed at her. "Blaze, use Ember!" Blaze unleashed a swirl of embers straight up into the rafters, but I could tell it hadn't hit the target. "Sadia, fly up there and fight it in the rafters! Use Quick Attack!"

"Pidg!" Sadia shouted and flew into the rafters at amazing speeds.

"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip," the old man spoke, and much to my surprise, a set of vines swung down from behind and wrapped around Mark.

"Mark!" I shouted as the Bellsprout pulled Mark up.

"You should be watchful of your surroundings."

"This isn't fair!" I shouted at the old man.

He just chuckled. "This is a real Pokemon battle. What you are taught in that school, and how you're trained to fight by the 'League' are watered down versions of real battles. In a real fight, you use your surroundings to your advantage, and you only bring out those you want to fight. Also..." I heard a scream that sounded like Mark was in serious pain. "Pokemon die."

"Mark!" I shouted as I looked up, watching Mark fall from the rafters. I leaped and reached out to grab him, but I failed. Mark struck the ground and his badly beaten body went motionless. "You monster!" I shouted at the old man.

The old man chuckled. "Monster? No. I treat my Pokemon with love and respect, and they treat me the same way. I don't hold them back in battle, and for that they are happy. My connection with my Pokemon allows me to give them commands without even needing to speak."

He wasn't kidding either. I saw vines reach across the rafters and grab hold of Sadia. "Sadia!" I shouted. I growled. "Sadia, do whatever you have to do to take that thing out!"

There was then a great gust of wind that enveloped the rafters. Bellsprout fell from its hiding place and crashed to the ground. Before I could speak again, Sadia dive bombed the plant, snipping it in half with her beak. The old man smirked at this. "Now you understand, don't you?"

I balled up my fists and a tear rolled down my cheek. "Yes." I looked up at the old man. "I realize exactly what you're trying to show me."

"Then let's see if that's true. Hoot-hoot!" The old man tossed a pokeball into the air, releasing a small brown Pokemon that was shaped like an orb. It had two small stubby wings on its sides and two large eyes that took up the majority of its face. It's eyebrows were shaped like clock hands sticking up from its eyes and it stood on one foot. No one is sure whether Hoot-hoot has only one foot or not, as it never shows its second leg. "Show me what you have learned."

"Sadia, let's do this! Quick Attack!" I shouted and Sadia quickly flew down towards the Hoot-hoot. She struck the Hoot-hoot well, but it only bounced a couple of times, seeming to ignore the damage it had just taken.

"Hoot-hoot, Hypnosis," the old man spoke putting a dark tone to the last word. The Hoot-hoot began to rock its head back and forth, it's eyes glowing.

"Sadia, don't let yourself fall asleep! Give it another Quick Attack!" Sadia dashed down, slamming hard into the Hoot-hoot, but the Hypnosis had taken its toll already. She didn't have the strength to fly away and collapsed to the ground next to the Hoot-hoot.

"Now use Peck!" Hoot-hoot pulled its beak back and began furiously pecking at Sadia. I clenched my fists, growling at the furious onslaught of attacks.

"Enough!" I shouted. "Blaze!" I didn't even have to say anything else. At that moment, Blaze charged into the battle and flame engulfed her body. I watched her tackle hard into Hoot-hoot's back, knocking the bird over. "Don't stop." Those words were cruel, but they felt satisfying in a way. My opponent obviously had no care for how injured my Pokemon were. He would attack until they were dead. That made me want the same thing for his Pokemon. I watched Blaze tackle the the Hoot-hoot over and over, until it was nearly dead. Blaze growled and rushed forward for the final blow, but then... "Enough." Blaze stopped when I gave the command.

"Why did you stop?" the old man asked.

"Because I'm not like you." I held out Sadia's pokeball. "Sadia, return!" A beam shot out and zapped Sadia back into her ball. "This fight is over, your Hoot-hoot has taken enough damage. Return it and bring out something else if you have anything."

The old man smirked. "No, you have passed this test." He clapped his hands and the Hoot-hoot jumped to its feet and rushed back to him. It acted as if it hadn't even been injured in the fight. "I am sorry I was so rough on you, but I had to be sure."

"'You had to be sure'? Sure of what?"

The old man shook his head. "I cannot say. Understand, though, that in the next few months, strange things will be happening around you. Be ready." The old man gave a bow. "You have passed the challenge, and as such, you are now eligible to compete in the Violet City Gym." The old man turned away. "I do apologize for injuring your Pokemon, though."

"Injuring? Injuring?" I shouted. "You killed one of them, and almost killed another!"

The old man nodded. "I know. I am sorry." He clapped his hands. "Now then, it is time for you to leave." I can't even begin to tell you what happened then. All I know was, one moment I was standing before the old man, about to yell at him, and the next, I was standing outside the Sprout Tower.

I stared at the almost immediate and rather sudden transition. I didn't understand what had just happened at all. It was then that I turned to the Pokemon Center and made my way there. They usually offered free rooms to trainers, and it was starting to get dark. I had a Gym battle the very next day, so I had to be ready. I spent my night there, thinking on everything that had happened that day.

My mind kept trailing back to the words of the old man. "Strange things will be happening around you. Be ready." I didn't understand what he meant, but strange things were already happening, so I doubted anything could get any stranger. I was, of course, wrong on that, but I didn't know it then. When my mind finally became too tired to think on these things anymore, I drifted off to sleep. I had a rather naughty dream that night about me and Ethan, and I wasn't surprised when I found myself being rather sticky when I awoke. Needless to say, I showered before I went anywhere else. That leg of my journey was now over, but there was much more to my journey ahead of me.

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. Please feel free to leave a review on the story as well. I love hearing people's thoughts (as long as it's not flaming of course) ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I stood before the doors of the Violet City Gym. The feeling of just standing there in front of the Gym was one I hadn't felt before. I was determined to win, but something felt off about this whole thing. I still couldn't shake what had happened the day before. "Weird things were going to happen to me" was what the old man had told me, and I wondered if something of that sort was going to happen inside this gym.

The clock struck nine and the moment it did, the doors opened automatically. Falkner had been waiting for me, just as I had been waiting to enter the gym for several minutes now. "Here we go," I spoke and stepped inside. The interior was actually fairly plain. Just four walls, all blue in color. That is, until I noticed nobody was there, and there was a large shadow on the ground. I looked up and my eyes went wide when I saw what was above me. An S-shaped platform that was built several feet in the air.

"Come on up, if you dare," I heard Falkner call from the platform above. "Just step onto the lift."

I saw a sign that pointed down at a small brown pad in the middle of the floor. It read "Lift here." I stepped onto the pad and was promptly knocked over the moment the lift shot up into the air, stopping abruptly next to the platform.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" I shouted.

"The lift up here, of course," Falkner spoke with a smile. "Welcome to the Violet City Gym, Kotone."

I slowly stood back to my feet and brushed myself off. "Well, all that matters is I'm here. Let's do this."

Falkner chuckled. "Sorry, but you won't fight me so quickly." He snapped his fingers and two younger trainers jumped in front of me. "If you want to fight me, you'll have to get passed them."

"You're shitting me..."

"Not in the slightest," one of the trainers spoke. "Standard Gym Rules state that a Gym Leader is allowed to have up to six trainers in his or her gym. The Gym Leader may also decide if the opposition is required to fight those trainers to reach him or her as well."

"And Falkner's decided you have to fight us to get to him," the second of the two trainers spoke up. "So, let's battle!"

"Fine by me." I pulled out a pokeball and smirked. "I've been saving this for just the right occasion actually." I tossed the ball forward, and when I did, a massive snake made purely of rock appeared from the ball. "Meet Alal. I got him from a trainer here in Violet City." It was true, only an hour beforehand I had run into a trainer in the city. He told me that he was looking to catch a Bellsprout, but he was too afraid to enter Sprout Tower. I had simply ran back to Sprout Tower, caught a Bellsprout, then returned to him. He traded me his Onix, nicknamed Alal, in return. "So, shall we dance?"

The two trainers stared in sheer terror. First of all, Onix are about twenty-eight feet tall. As such, this thing was a monster to stare at to begin with. Second of all, Rock-type Pokemon have the advantage against Flying-type Pokemon. The trainers didn't even stand a chance.

"You're much stronger then I thought..." Falkner spoke as he growled, staring at the two trainers who were now cowering in a corner. They had each been defeated by a single Rock Throw.

"I also have the advantage," I spoke with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter!" Falkner shouted and held out a pokeball. "My father's precious bird Pokemon will wipe you and your Onix out!" He tossed the pokeball forward and I braced myself for something powerful. After all, this was a Gym Leader, surely he would have strong Pokemon, yes? Needless to say, I was not pleased when he released a Pidgey.

"That's it?" I shouted. "A fucking Pidgey? Your Dad's precious bird Pokemon is an Arceus damned Pidgey? What the hell, man? What the actual hell? Did your Dad not train that Pokemon at all?"

I think I made Falkner made with that comment. "You will rue the day you belittled my father's Pokemon! Pidgey, use Gust!" The small bird flapped its wings, picking up a huge tornado that flew forward at Alal. Alal just stood there, not even flinching. "Uhh..."

I sighed. "Flying-type moves barely do anything to Rock-types, Falkner...Alal...just...end this now...Rock Throw."

Alal gave a loud roar and its tail reached up and actually separated a rock from its own body. It then flung the rock at the Pidgey, which screeched before the rock struck it hard, nearly squishing the small bird. "Next."

"I can't believe you did that to my Dad's cherished bird Pokemon!" Falkner shouted at once before returning his Pidgey. "I'll show you real power now!" He pulled out a second pokeball. "Pidgeotto!" From the ball came a much larger bird, at least three feet tall I'd say. It looked like a more mature version of Pidgey and had long red feathers that came off the front of its head and went behind its head.

"Pidgeotto, huh? This should be a challenge." I smirked. "Rock Throw, Alal!" Once again, Alal grabbed a rock from his body and tossed it at the Pidgeotto. I had to resist the urge to faceplant when that was all it took to knock it out.

"Pidgeotto! No!" Falkner cried. "How could you wipe out my father's cherished bird Pokemon like that?" Tears literally began to flow from his eyes. It was...actually quite annoying to watch.

"Umm...what...what level was your Pidgeotto anyway?"

"Level 13."

I twitched. "How...the...hell..." Pidgey don't even evolve until level 18, yet this guy had a level 13 Pidgeotto? How the hell was that even possible? I sighed. "Just...give me the badge..."

Falkner sniffled a bit, then pulled out a badge. "Here, take it, you meanie." He tossed it at me.

"Thanks..." I grumbled and picked the badge up from the ground, then turned back to the platform that had brought me up here. The moment I stepped on it, it shot downward about as quickly as it had shot upward. "Damn platform..." I grumbled. "Well, at least that's over with..."

Ring ring! My pokegear began to ring. I gripped it, expecting it to be Joey. Instead, it was... "Professor Elm?" I put the pokegear to my ear and pushed the button. "Hello?"

"Kotone! So good to hear from you!" Professor Elm spoke on the other side of the pokegear. "Could you do me a favor?"

"A favor?"

"Yes. I need you to pick up the egg you gave me. I'll explain more when you pick it up, but it's very important that you get it."

"Oh...all right...I'll be there in a little while?"

"Thanks, Kotone." Professor Elm hung up.

"That was...strange...I wonder why Elm needs me to take the egg?" I pondered this the entire trip back to New Bark Town. Once there, I pushed the door to Elm's lab open. "Professor?" I called out.

"Ah, welcome back, Kotone!" Professor Elm spoke up and rushed over to me. "Come, come, quickly!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me through his lab. There, on his table, was the egg that Mr. Pokemon had given me to give to Elm. "Do you know what this is, Kotone?"

"A Pokemon egg? Really, Professor, you said that when I handed it to you."

"Not just any Pokemon egg, Kotone! It's the egg of a Legendary!"

An egg...of a Legendary? My mind broke. I had heard of Pokemon laying eggs, but I had never seen a Pokemon that was considered to be a "Legendary" lay an egg. They were legends, after all, myths that no one knew whether they even truly existed or not. That's why they were called "Legendaries". "Professor, what do you mean?"

"This egg...it's the egg of a very powerful Pokemon indeed. The Pokemon that laid this egg doesn't even exist around the Johto region, not for centuries anyway. To have an egg of this very Pokemon here...it's amazing!"

"What Pokemon is it?"

Professor Elm shook his head. "I cannot say. However, I know you are meant to have it. An egg will only hatch when it is around other Pokemon who interact with it regularly. Since the only Pokemon I have left is Chikorita, I can't do the job. You must take it and try to hatch it. If my suspicions are correct, this means something very interesting will be happening very soon."

I stared at the egg for a moment. Such a small thing seemed so important. "All right." It was actually a hard decision to make, but I had the feeling that even if I said no, I wouldn't be able to resist. That is why I not only said yes, but so quickly. I reached out for the egg and scooped it up. I then turned to Professor Elm. "So...I just carry this thing around?"

Professor Elm nodded. "Yes. Be careful with it, but yes."

"All right then..." I turned to Blaze. "Well, looks like we've got another party member...an egg." Blaze giggled at that statement then nodded. "Is this all Professor?"

"Yes, however, if I may ask another favor..."

"What is it this time?"

"Nothing major. I just want you to call me after the egg hatches. I want to see if my suspicions are true or not."

"Can't you just tell me them?"

"I'm sorry, Kotone, but I can't. It's just not my place to say."

"Not your place? What do you mean?"

Professor Elm glanced around, then quickly rushed to his computer. "Erm...my, my, look at all of this research I have to look over. I'll be busy for a while. Yeap, very busy." He began furiously typing on the computer and I sighed. It was obvious I wasn't getting a response from him in any way.

"Fine, whatever..." I turned and walked out of the lab. I hadn't even taken two steps out of the lab before a small blue orb smacked into me, knocking me over. It was Ethan's Marill again. "Bitch, leave me alone!" I shouted at it.

"You leave my man alone!" the Marill shouted back. Wait...the Marill shouted at me? With actual human words? What the hell?

"You can talk?" I shouted.

Marill blinked. "Of course I can talk! All Pokemon can talk. You humans just...can't...understand..." She slowed in her speech until she stopped. She stared for a moment then shouted again. "You can understand me?"

"I...yes?"

"But how? Only 0.001% of humans have that ability, and you didn't have it before. Why can you understand me now?"

I was just as curious about that as Marill was. Wait...that guy said strange things were going to happen soon. This definitely qualified as strange. "What the hell is going on?"

"Kotone!" Ethan shouted as he ran over to me. "Sorry...Marill got away from me again..."

"It's...okay..." I slowly stood to my feet and brushed myself off again. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Ethan...can you understand what Pokemon are saying?"

"No...why?" Ethan looked at me with a confused stare.

"I..." I looked away. "No reason."

Ethan picked up his Marill. "You need to stop running away."

"I will as soon as Miss Bitch leaves you alone," Marill spoke with a smirk and I glared at her. She had a cute expression on her face. There's no way Ethan would have the slightest clue what she just said, nor would he believe me if I had told him. Hell, I didn't even believe it. Since when could I understand Pokemon?

"Still think your Marill hates me," I spoke as I adjusted my outfit a bit. I then turned to Ethan and looked him in the eyes. "Hey, Ethan..." I could feel myself turning red with the thoughts that were going through my head now. "Do you want to...umm..." I looked down. "Y-you know...try it again?"

Ethan tilted his head in confusion. "Try what again?"

I bit my lip and got close to him and whispered into his ear. "Having sex." Ethan jumped back and blushed really heavily. He was speechless and I looked down sheepishly. "I-it's up to you."

Ethan cleared his throat. "I...I like you Kotone, but...I...I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet."

I nodded and smiled. "It's fine." I glanced around a moment, then pulled my shirt down, letting Ethan see my breasts. I giggled as I watched him stare for a moment before I covered them again. "Well, with that, I guess I'll be heading out then. I need to get back to Violet City."

Ethan nodded. "A-all right. See ya, Kotone." He walked away and I sighed. I just couldn't seem to get him attracted to me. Was there nothing I could do? Did I have no chance of being with him? I glanced down at myself. What was I even doing, showing off my breasts like that? I wouldn't have even let him look down my shirt before, yet just the other day I had let him see me naked and even tried to have sex with him, and today I was almost begging him for it. What was wrong with me? I pondered this as I began to walk back towards Violet City.

At some point along the way, I think Blaze noticed I was lost in thought about this. He spoke up. "Mistress, can you understand me?"

"Mistress?" I looked down at Blaze.

Blaze nodded. "You're my master, but since you're a girl, that makes you 'Mistress'."

I blushed a little. "I-I don't really want to be your master. I want to be friends with you."

"Mistresses can still be friends."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Just...call me Kotone, though, okay?"

Blaze nodded. "Kotone...is something wrong?"

"No..." I lied. It was a flat out lie, too. A terrible lie, one that Blaze could see right through.

"Something is troubling you."

I sighed. "Well...it's just..." I sighed again. "I've been really weird lately." I immediately reminded Blaze of everything that had happened in the last three days. "I don't know...I feel like I'm becoming a totally different person, and I don't know if I like it."

"Everyone changes."

"But this much in three days? Three days ago I never would have even considered trying to fuck Ethan, and up until today I couldn't understand any of you. So why the hell can I now? And what's with my sudden obsession with sex?"

"Perhaps it is just natural?" Sadia asked as she fluttered onto my shoulder.

"No...there's nothing natural about this..." I looked down at the egg in my hands. "It all started when I got hold of this. When I blacked out..." My eyes went wide. "Mr. Pokemon must know something!" I rushed off towards Route 30 and when I reached his house, I slammed the door open. "All right, Mr. Pokemon, you've got some explaining to do!"

Mr. Pokemon jumped when I slammed his door open and shouted and he quickly whirled around. "Kotone?"

"That's right, it's me." I stepped up to him. "You've got some explaining to do. What really happened to me that day that I visited you and got the egg?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what really caused me to black out. You left me a note saying it was stress, but that's not right, is it? Ever since I blacked out, weird things have been happening to me, and you're going to explain why."

Mr. Pokemon stared at me for a moment, then sighed. "Very well. If you'll kindly sit down, I'll explain everything." He motioned to the chair on the other side of the table and I carefully sat down. "Kotone, strange things are happening here in the Johto Region. It all started with that egg you have." He motioned to the egg in my hands and I looked down at it. "Do you know what kind of egg that is?"

"Should I?"

Mr. Pokemon nodded. "That is an egg of one of the rarest Pokemon in existence. Some call it a Legendary, but it's actually not. It's not super strong, it's not even all that great of a Pokemon, but it has special powers that only Legendaries have. You see, the egg you hold is the egg of a Togepi."

"Togepi?" I pulled out my pokedex and began to search for it.

"You won't find it in there. It's so rare that not even the Great Professor Oak has gotten to document it. You are holding a very special egg indeed." He clapped his hands and when he did, the door to his house opened once again. A woman stepped through the door, dressed in a kimono. Her hair was black and pulled back into a rather odd style that I'm not sure how to explain, but the Kimono was blue in color and the design reminded me somewhat of a Vaporeon. "This is my dear friend, Yuki."

Yuki gave a bow. "Hello, young one."

"Yuki, this is Kotone. Everything is as you said. I gave her the egg and she showed the signs."

Yuki stared at me. I felt like her eyes were searching deep into my soul, even though I think she was just examining my outfit. Once again, I felt very much naked, and I wondered why I was wearing such a small outfit. "He chose one such as this?"

"So it would seem."

Yuki stepped over to me and grabbed my wrist. Much to my surprise, she lifted me from my seat so I was now standing. She examined me again, then shook her head. "This must be a joke." She let go of me and turned to Mr. Pokemon. "She can't really be the one."

"Kotone, you said strange things have been happening to you. What things have you noticed?"

"Well...I can understand Pokemon now...and..." I blushed. Did I really want to say that I had a sudden increase in my sexual desires? I turned away and whispered "...and I can't stop thinking about sex..." Yuki stared at me with wide eyes that I noticed when I looked back up. "Wh-what?"

"Wh-what kind of person are you?" Yuki asked.

"What do you mean?"

Yuki growled and turned away again. "Really, she can't be the one. He would never choose someone so...loose..."

"Yuki," Mr. Pokemon began, "remember what He said. His chosen one would be shown by her ability to understand Pokemon as well as something natural about her being increased. Kotone, have you ever had desires for sex before like this?"

"W-well..." I looked away, blushing again. I didn't want to admit it, but I had. I had been trying to get into Ethan's pants for years, just not quite as strongly as now. It was part of why I wore so little. I was trying to be sexy, to impress him, yet it never worked. "Y-yes..." I finally spoke. I felt like part of me died when I said that.

"You see?" Mr. Pokemon spoke as he turned to Yuki. "She is the one."

Yuki sighed. "We shall see." She stormed out.

"What...what was that all about?" I asked after Yuki had left.

Mr. Pokemon sighed. "Yuji's just upset. You weren't what she had expected..."

"I wasn't what she expected? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Mr. Pokemon shook his head. "I can't explain everything to you right now. It's not mine to explain. What I can tell you, though, is that you have a very important destiny. What will happen to you in the next few months...it will all lead up to something. You must be ready for it. Train your Pokemon, build a team, get stronger. There is a lot that depends on you, Kotone." Mr. Pokemon sat back in his chair. "That's all I can say, though."

"But-"

"No buts. I cannot explain anything else to you. It's just not my place. You'll understand everything eventually, but that time is not now. Go, Kotone, continue your adventure and don't worry about any of this for now, okay?"

I sighed. That wasn't going to be easy. A lot was going to depend on me? I was chosen by someone for something? Who had chosen me? Why had they chosen me? What did they choose me for? All of these things were in my head, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get an answer from him. I stood to my feet and walked out of Mr. Pokemon's house. "Did anyone else understand any of that?" I asked my team. They all responded with a no. "All right then."

"So what are we going to do?" Blaze asked.

"We're going to move on. We'll do just like Mr. Pokemon said. Keep moving and forget about the future for now. Things will happen as they happen."

"Then we should train," Sadia spoke up.

"Agreed." And with that, we headed back to Violet City. We fought trainers and battled wild Pokemon along the way, doing our best to train for anything that came our way. It was on Route 31, I believe, where I caught Lily, a small electric-type sheep known as a Mareep. I now had four Pokemon in my team, and as we continued on through Route 31, we continued to train.

Finally, we had reached Violet City once again and I turned to examine my team. My entire team had changed just in that trip. Blaze was no longer the tiny Cyndaquil I once knew, but was now a much larger and much longer creature known as Quilava. It's a very long Pokemon that has can release fire from both the top of its head and the bottom of its butt. Blaze looked much cooler and much more confident and serious now.

The rest of my team hadn't changed except for the addition of Lily, but that was still a new point as I had just caught her. Things were looking up, that was for sure. Another leg of my adventure was now over. Little did I know that the next part of my adventure would take me deep into the nearby Ruins of Alph to uncover a secret that had been hidden from mankind for centuries.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Where...the...hell...are we?" I grumbled as I stared at my pokegear. The map said "Unknown Area" on it. How the hell do I get into an unknown area when I'm using a map that tracks my whereabouts with satellite? I grumbled and looked back up, staring at the trees all around me. I was lost again.

"We're lost again?" Sadia asked as she pecked her wing while perching on my shoulder.

"No!" I shouted, not wanting to admit it. "We just...took a detour...through somewhere that I don't know...and we'll be back to Route 32 and on our way to Union Cave in no time."

"Right...didn't you say that half an hour ago?"

I was really beginning to hate being able to understand my Pokemon. Sadia had turned out to be a bit of a snot personality wise, something I wouldn't have known before. "We'll be back on Route 32 in no time, no sweat! We just have to go..." I glanced around. "That way!" I pointed in a random direction.

Sadia rolled her eyes. "Would it just be easier if I flew up and looked around?"

"No need, we'll be out of here soon enough!"

"If you say so, Mistress."

There was that term again "Mistress". It seemed like all of my Pokemon used that term. "You don't have to call me that."

Sadia gave a shrug. "You're my Master, it's what I do."

"Couldn't you just call me Kotone?"

"But such a thing would be horribly informal."

I gritted my teeth. She was a bother.

"By the way, why don't you let Alal travel with us? Why does he have to sit in his pokeball?"

"Because he's freakin' 28 feet tall and shakes the ground whenever he moves."

"He's an Onix, what do you expect? You think he'd just prance around like a Poochyena or something?"

"'Poochyena'?" I gave Sadia a weird look, showing I had no understanding.

"A Pokemon from another region. Check your pokedex if you care to know."

I nodded and pulled out my pokedex. I searched for a few moments and soon came upon Poochyena. It was a small black dog-like Pokemon. It was actually very cute, but when I noticed it evolved, I clicked on to find out more. It's evolution, Mightyena, was freakin' bad-ass looking. "Aww, damn, why does Hoenn get the good Pokemon?"

Sadia giggled then pecked a few buttons on the pokedex. "Not all Hoenn Pokemon are pretty."

The pokedex now displayed a creature that made me make a face. It had a massive two foot fin on the top of its head, and its head was at least the same size as the entire rest of its body. It's mouth covered half of the creature's face and was trapped in this permanent toothless grin. It had whiskers...or...something on the sides of its face, and had a back fin the same size as its head. I swear, this was like the creature time forgot or something. "What the hell?" I looked at its name. "'Mudkip'...evolves into Marshtomp and then Swampert." I loaded up both of them. Mudkip just got uglier as it evolved. "What the hell?"

"Look up Feebas," Sadia spoke with a giggle.

"Do I want to?" I groaned, but did anyway. It...was a brown fish...with holes in its sides...and a weird fin that looked like the wire in a lightbulb. It had huge eyes that seemed to be set several inches inside of its head, and it had huge red lips that looked very out of place on the creature. "What...the...hell?"

"Not everything in Hoenn is cool."

I didn't disagree. I had to have spent another half an hour looking through the dex as we continued to walk. Unfortunately, we still hadn't gotten back to Route 32 either. "Whelp...we're officially lost..." I finally stated.

"No, really?" Sadia rolled her eyes and flew up. "I'll go see where we're at." I watched her fly into the air and glance around for a few moments. She then flew back down onto my shoulder. "To the east," Sadia pointed her wing east, "is something...strange... I don't know what it is, but it might be a town. It looked like big brown buildings."

"Big brown buildings?" I asked and looked towards where Sadia pointed. "Well, only one way to find out." I rushed forward, and it took only a minute or so before we had cleared the trees and stepped out into a set of massive ruins. There were several very old and decrepit buildings made entirely of stone all around. "Where is this?" I glanced down at my pokegear, and when I did, I noticed something strange. My pokegear was beginning to fizzle, as if receiving static. For a moment, I swore I saw something flash on it, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "This place is messing with my pokegear..."

I looked up, staring at the ruins before me. There were several buildings all over the place, each similar to the last. Some of the buildings were massive arches that led to a path to a building, while some were actual full constructs. I stepped forward and placed my hand on one of them. I heard something, like a high-pitched sound. I whirled around, but there was nothing. "Did you hear that?"

Sadia and Blaze both glanced around for a moment. "Hear what?" Sadia asked, tilting her head at me.

"Nothing...must have been my imagination..." Have you ever had that feeling you were being watched? Like a pair of eyes were beating down right on top of you, yet there was nothing there? That's what I was feeling right then and there. Something was watching me, but there was nothing around. I turned to walk on, then I heard it again, that high-pitched noise. Something was calling to me. "Hello?" I called out and glanced around, but there was no response.

Suddenly, I heard something move and I whirled around. It was just a Rattata jumping out of the bush nearby. I gave a sigh and put my hand on my chest, leaning back against the wall. It must have been the Rattata, I thought. Suddenly, I fell backwards as the wall I was leaning on opened.

"Wh-where are we now?" I asked as I glanced around. The room was lit only by torchlight all around me and I slowly stood back up to my feet. The place I was in now was a large, nearly empty room. The walls seemed to be made of old bricks, as if the building was ancient. Not only that, but the bricks had strange symbols engraved into them. Symbols that made no sense to me.

On the other side of the room, I noticed a man in a white lab coat. He was staring at something intently, and I slowly walked over to him. "Hello, sir?"

The man screamed and jumped. "Arceus! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Umm...do you know where we are?"

"Of course I do. This is the Ruins of Alph."

"Ruins of Alph?" I looked down at my pokegear and opened the map once more. The screen flickered strangely. Either it was glitching again, or something here was messing with it. "What exactly are the 'Ruins of Alph'?"

"No one knows," the man spoke in, what I guess was an attempt at a spooky voice. "Some say a civilization of humans used to live here centuries ago, and one day they just disappeared."

I tilted my head. "So...why are you here?"

"I'm a researcher! Me and the other researchers on this team are investigating the Ruins here."

"Have you found anything?" I turned to look at what he had been staring at. It was a gold plaque.

"No..." the researcher sighed. "All we've found so far are these plaques, but we can't read them, or even figure out what they're here for."

I looked the plaque over for a moment. "You can't read this?"

"No, why?"

"Cause this doesn't seem difficult to read at all." I pointed at it. "It's kind of a weird way of drawing letters, what with the eyes and everything, but this first letter is clearly an E." Seriously, the letters looked like weird symbols that were drawn with eyes in weird places. For example, the word on the plaque, and yes, it was just one word, clearly said "Escape" but the E had an eye in the center of it, the S was similar, the C circled around the eye, the A had an eye as the top half of the letter, and so on. Each letter had an eye, but all six letters were very clearly standard letters otherwise.

"'Escape'?" the researcher questioned after I pointed out the word. "What could that mean?"

I was about to shrug and pretend I hadn't seen it, when an idea came to mind. I didn't know why, but I pulled out a rope from my purse. It was a strange item. I'm not sure how it works, but supposedly holding onto it will allow you to leave a building or cave or some such thing. I...really have no idea how it works, but I knew it did. However, when I pulled it out this time, it did something much different then what I expected. The rope glowed, then exploded into dust. The plaque then began to glow brightly and the entire wall shifted back. You could hear the sounds of a great machine running as it moved the wall back a ways, then slid it up into the ceiling.

The researcher's mouth dropped to the floor at the sight of this. "HOLY SHIT!" he shouted. "Do...do you realize what you just did?!"

"Umm...no?" I didn't.

"You just solved a mystery our team has been trying to figure out for a year now! And you solved it in only a minute!" The researcher pulled out a blue tablet-like object, like an iPad or some such. He pushed it into my hands. "This is the Unown Report! You are now officially part of the Ruins of Alph Research Team!"

"Buh?" was all I could react with. I was stunned and shocked by this sudden occurrence. I had no idea how to react. Did me being "his chosen one" have anything to do with how easy this puzzle was to solve or was it just that simple to begin with? For that matter, who exactly was "he"? So many questions that Mr. Pokemon hadn't answered, yet he knew the answer to.

"Well, go on, you're part of the team now. Step in and tell me what you find."

"Wait, what? You want me to go in there?" I pointed into the opening.

"Yes!"

I turned back towards the dark opening, then turned to Blaze. Blaze simply gave a shrug. "Might as well, Kotone," she spoke and I sighed.

"A-all right." I stepped forward into the darkness. Inside I found myself in a large room. The room was filled with strange symbols all over the walls, and even on the floor. I examined them for a moment, then turned to the researcher who had followed me in only a moment later. "What exactly are we looking for in here?"

"Anything that could give us a clue about the Unown or the purpose of these ruins."

Of course it was that simple. I looked at the walls again. Wait...had the symbols just changed? I slowly stepped my way over to them, then turned back to the researcher. "Hey, come over here." I turned back. They changed again?

"What is it, Kotone?"

"These symbols keep changing."

"Do they?" The researcher stared at the symbols, and then he stared hard at the symbols. I could actually hear him straining to look at them. Was he trying to force them to change by sheer will power? I was caught up by it so much I had to stop and stare at the man for a few moments, yet when I turned back...

"They changed again!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The researcher pointed at the wall. "This is the same symbol that's been here since you called me over."

"No it's not. It looked kind of like a T before, now it's an X."

The man tilted his head. "I don't see a T or an X. I see..." He made a gesture that kind of looked like sideways glasses. "That."

"That?" I stared at the wall again. I blinked, the symbols changed once more. I blinked again. Every time I blinked or looked away, it was like the wall had changed completely. I stared hard at the wall, trying to figure out what I was seeing. It was then that illusion seemed to fade before my eyes. Thousands of letter-like symbols were moving back and forth across the walls and the ceiling and even the floor. They were moving rapidly, so fast I could barely even notice. Each of them had an eye somewhere on the symbol.

"The symbols are moving!"

"Moving? What are you talking about? I don't see any-" The symbols stopped moving. When they did, I noticed a strange distortion in the room, one I think the researcher noticed as well. It was like the walls were beginning to melt. "Wh-what is this?" Could the symbols have been creating an illusion? Could I have seen through it? Had I scared the...symbols when I had? "The walls and the ceiling and the floor just melted away!"

I turned back to the wall, staring at the symbol in front of me. It wasn't embedded in the wall, but was, in fact, sticking out of the wall. It was more like it was hanging on the wall, as it sat an inch or so off the wall, but nothing was making it hang. It was floating. I reached out for the symbol and grabbed it carefully. It was a strange symbol, almost like a Y with the eye in the split at the top of the letter.

"Hello?" I asked the symbol. "Can you understand me?" The symbol blinked! At that moment, the other symbols blinked and flew off the wall, circling around me. Their eyes now had an azure glow to them as they circled me, hovering ever closer. "I-I am Kotone from New Bark Town. I don't mean you any harm."

I began to hear whispers, but nothing was talking. Things like "who does she think she is?" or "she saw us?" and many other such things. Finally, one of the symbols floated up to me, staring me in the fact. "You are Kotone of New Bark Town," I...think the symbol said? It didn't have a mouth, and I don't think the researcher heard, so maybe it was talking psychically to me? "You saw through our illusion. How?"

"I-I don't know."

"Are you something special?"

"Maybe?"

"Do you have psychic powers?"

"None that I know of?"

"Are you Ho-oh's chosen one?"

"I...don't know?" Wait a minute, Ho-oh's chosen one? Isn't Ho-oh a Pokemon? Not only that, but a powerful one. He's a legendary! One of two very powerful legendary Pokemon who lived here in Johto centuries back. "I...I was told I was someone's chosen one..."

"Do you have the egg?" the symbol asked slowly, almost pausing between each word. I reached into my purse and pulled out Togepi's egg. There was a resounding gasp, as if every single symbol in the entire room had gasped all at once in sheer shock. "Togepi!"

"P-please, what do you know about this egg? Who chose me?"

"Come, there is much you must learn." The symbol began to float away.

"Before that, tell me, who and what are you?"

"Unknown," the symbol spoke. At first, I thought it had said "Unown" which was the name the researcher had kept spouting, but I realized it was not. "We know as much about who and what we are as you do, human. We have existed here, in this place, since its creation, when time and space were first forged by the gods, yet we know nothing of ourselves. Perhaps you can tell us more, being the Chosen One?"

"M-me? Tell you more about...yourselves?"

"Come!" the symbol shouted and I flinched. "You will understand more soon." The symbol began to float away from me and I was left to stare at it for a moment. After that, I don't know what happened, I just started walking. I don't know where we went in those ruins, or where we ended up. I remember walking down a few corridors, but I can't really say the exact way I went to get there. However I got there, the researcher hadn't followed me, or perhaps he hadn't been able to?

"Here," the symbol spoke up suddenly which made me jump. We had been walking in silence for so long, I was feeling like sound itself had been sucked away from the world.

"What is this place?" I asked as I looked around. It looked much like the other rooms had. Big open areas with symbols all over the walls, but these ones did not move or change.

"Unknown," the symbol responded. "It is a room that he built, though, at the end of the war."

"War?" I quickly turned towards the symbol. "What do you mean? What war?"

"Look for yourself."

I turned forward, and there I saw it. It wasn't strange symbols that formed letters, but instead it was symbols that formed images. Symbols of a man, very powerful looking, sitting upon a throne. His hand was stretched forward, as if giving a command. The man was the height of the wall, and next to him were several rows of much smaller men. Each had a Pokemon of some manner at his side. The wall continued on, depicting these...soldiers, if you will, clashing with other warriors. A great battle, a powerful war, the symbols depicted it all in terrible detail and I understood every last bit of it.

There had been a war in the past. Humans had used Pokemon for their own selfish desires. They started a war that had engulfed the world. Man was fighting against man, but they were not fighting themselves. They used Pokemon to fight the war for them. Pokemon were fighting for their masters, dying in the names of their commanders who would fall soon after. It was a terrible, bloody war.

And then, a light appeared. Two majestic birds, carrying the sun and moon on their backs appeared in the sky. They used the powers of their respective symbol and rained destruction upon the pitiful humans. Those who were spared revered the birds as gods. They constructed towers to them. Two tall towers that reached into the heavens. The birds stayed there for a time, watching over the world.

Then, the unthinkable happened. In a fit of rage, man destroyed one of the towers, burning it to the ground. The birds were so angered by this that they destroyed the fools who destroyed the tower. Angered, they gave the humans a warning. If another war arose like the one before, they would not stop it. They would allow the humans to destroy each other. No, they'd help the humans to destroy each other. With humans gone, the Pokemon left would be free to live out their own lives in peace.

"What does all of this mean?" I asked and turned to the symbol still floating at my side. "What does this have to do with me?"

"You are the Chosen One. You are the last hope for humanity. You are chosen to stop the coming war. However, you are only one of two."

"One of two?"

The symbol turned to me. "You are the Chosen of Ho-oh, the Bird of the Sun. You are the Chosen One, come to prevent the great war. There is, however, another. Lugia, the Bird of the Moon, was angered when his tower was destroyed. He seeks the destruction of mankind. He has picked a Chosen One as well. His Chosen is the Harbringer of Death. This is why you have been chosen. You must stop the Chosen of Lugia, and put an end to the coming war."

"Ho-oh and Lugia?" I turned back towards the symbols on the wall. Yes, it was Ho-oh and Lugia. They were there, depicted so perfectly on the wall, yet I hadn't even realized it was them. That meant...the towers! One was the Burnt Tower in Ecruteak. Was the other the Bell Tower, then? I nodded, I knew I was right. "So I'm supposed to find the Chosen One of Lugia and stop him?"

"Yes."

"Where is he? I'll take him out no problem!"

The symbol laughed at me! "Young one, you are not yet ready for that challenge. You must first overcome another. When that is done, then and only then will you be able to find Lugia's Chosen One."

"What about Lugia himself? Can't I just find and defeat him?"

"If you can find him, you most certainly are free to take him on. But keep him mind, he is a god. Your power will be as nothing against him."

"I'm not afraid!" I totally was, but I wasn't going to admit it.

"Maybe not now, but when you see his power, you will be." I felt my bag beginning to shake and I quickly looked down. "Ah, it's time for the young one to be born. Chosen One, take care of this one. She will be important to you in your journey."

"Take care of..." I started as I pulled the Togepi egg out of my bag. It was shaking and beginning to crack. Soon enough, the top of the egg shattered, and a face emerged from the white egg-like shape underneath. It's head seemed to open into a white crown and the egg cracked further, allowing two small stubby arms and legs to pop out. "This is Togepi?"

"It is."

"I don't understand...what's so special about this one?"

"You will find that out soon enough. For now, take care of it."

I stared at the Pokemon in my arms and it smiled. "You're cute," I spoke with a smile. "I'll name you Tepi."

Tepi smiled back at me and cooed happily.

"Now, Chosen One, now that you know of your destiny, it is time for your real adventure to begin." The symbols eye began to glow and I felt myself lifted into the air. More of the symbols swirled around me and reality began to warp and twist around me. I felt myself fall, and I fell through the floor. I screamed!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I groaned as I awoke. I remembered falling through the floor in the Ruins of Alph, and I remembered screaming. Then I remembered everything going dark around me. Now I had woken up somewhere completely different. I slowly sat up and rubbed my head. "What the hell happened to me?" I asked myself, trying to get myself to focus enough to notice my surroundings.

As I looked up, I noticed I was sitting outside. I wasn't sure where, but I knew it wasn't the Ruins of Alph. There were trees and grass, neither of which had been in the Ruins of Alph. I felt the wind blow by and I quickly wrapped my arms around myself. It felt oddly cold. Not only that, but my outfit felt very drafty all of a sudden. I glanced down at myself and discovered why. I was completely topless!

"Where's my shirt?!" I shouted and quickly covered my chest. "And where's my jacket?" I began to look around frantically. "For that matter, where's my Pokemon?" I was about to stand to my feet when I heard something move in the nearby grass. I froze, panicking. I didn't know what it could be, and considering my current state of dress, I was worried about what it could be.

I relaxed when I saw Blaze step out of the tall grass. "You're finally awake!" Blaze spoke with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm...wait... 'finally' awake?"

Blaze nodded. "You've been asleep for a few hours now."

"Hours?!" I shouted. "What happened? I remember being in the Ruins of Alph, and then..."

"I don't know. I remember those creatures...Unown I think the researcher called them... swirling around you for a few moments, then you started screaming. Next thing I knew, everything went dark. Then a moment later, we were all here and you were asleep."

"A-and what happened to my clothes?"

"No idea," Blaze said without a single hesitation. "Things went black, then lit up and you weren't wearing your shirt, jacket, or hat anymore."

I sighed and groaned. "Why does the world hate me so much?" I then realized something, Blaze was the only one of my Pokemon around me. I reached down to my belt, but none of my pokeballs were there either. "Blaze...where did everyone go?"

"After you didn't wake up for a while, I asked everyone else to look for help."

"Well, I can understand that..." I sighed and stood up, still holding my hands over my breasts. "I'd like to know what happened to my clothes, though..."

Blaze nodded. "I wish I knew." She stepped up next to me and nuzzled my leg, before standing on her back legs. She was about a foot taller now then she was when she was a Cyndaquil, which meant she was now reaching my stomach in height. I myself was about five foot six at the time, and Blaze was now almost three feet tall.

"Blaze!" I heard a voice shout and I turned. It was Sadia! She was flying towards us as quick as she could. "Blaze, I got help! Ethan should be-" She stopped and looked at me. She stopped flapping her wings and set herself down on the ground as she looked up at me. "You're awake!"

I nodded with a smile. "Sorry to make you worry."

Sadia smiled back, or what you could call a smile as she was a bird. "It's fine, Kotone. I'm just glad you're okay." She stepped over to me and nuzzled against my leg.

"What were you saying a moment ago, Sadia?" Blaze asked.

"Oh! Alal and Ethan should be here in a minute."

"E-Ethan?!" I shouted. "But I'm half naked here!"

"So?"

"So? So?! I don't want Ethan to see me half naked!"

Sadia shrugged. "Could have fooled me, since you're always pulling your shirt down."

I blushed deeply and growled. I actually pulled my hands away from my chest and bopped Sadia on the head. "You be quiet!"

"Here!" I heard a loud voice bellow out and I immediately recognized it as Alal's. He may only speak one-liners, but he bellows, and when I say he bellows, I mean he bellows! I swear you could hear his voice from a mile away he talks so loudly.

"Kotone!" Ethan shouted and I watched him slide down Alal's back, performing a flip at the last moment and landing square on the ground. He rushed over to me. "Are you okay?"

"Fine now." I had completely forgotten that I wasn't covering my chest anymore.

"That's good. Your Pokemon came rushing into Violet City out of nowhere. Your Pidgey there started squawking in my ear. I may not understand Pokemon, but I can at least tell they were worried by their actions and expressions. I thought something had happened to you."

"Something did happen. That's why they went looking for you." I quickly explained what happened at the Ruins of Alph and what Blaze had told me about afterwards.

"Wow, that must have been one hell of an experience."

I responded with a simple nod.

"Now answer me this question...where are your clothes?"

My eyes went wide and I blushed heavily. I quickly covered my chest again and looked away from him. "W-well, the truth of that is...I mean...umm..." I sighed. "I don't know. I was like this when I woke up."

"That's terrible!" Ethan began to look around. "Someone must have taken your clothes while you were unconscious."

"Right, because someone is going to steal everything I own, but only from the waist up." I smacked Ethan over the forehead. "I fell through a hole in the Ruins of Alph. As I fell, my clothes vanished. No one took them."

"Then we should go check the ruins."

I shook my head. "I would love to Ethan. As soon as you can figure out where the hell the Ruins of Alph are and exactly how we get back in, you're free to."

Ethan stood there, silent for a moment. I was right. I didn't even know how I got there to begin with, let alone going back there now. Not to mention I fell into the Ruins and followed some weird symbol Pokemon thing into a secret room. There's no way I'd find all of that on my own again.

"Look, we'll just travel back to Violet City and I'll buy some clothes, okay?"

"You can't walk around Violet City half naked."

"You're right." I don't really know what compelled me to do this, but without hesitation, I dropped my shorts. "I'll take the rest of my clothes off." I had just started stepping out of my shorts when Ethan stopped me.

"Y-you can't walk around naked either."

"Well what the hell do you expect me to do? I don't have clothes, Ethan, and I can't buy clothes until I go to town."

Ethan glanced around for a moment, then he grabbed the bottom of his shirt. "Here." He lifted the shirt up and pulled it off, holding it out to me. "Wear this."

I stared at the shirt for a moment, then looked up at him. I felt something come over me at that moment and I grabbed his shirt and tossed it to the ground. I stepped forward and grabbed his pants. "You're sexy, you know that?" Ethan blushed at those words. I smiled. I was finally getting him to react the way I expected him to react. I dropped his pants to the ground.

"Wh-what are you doing, Kotone?" Ethan asked after a moment.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. "I still want you, Ethan." I reached down into his underwear and began to stroke him.

"K-Kotone..."

I pulled him closer and pressed my lips into his. I barely had to kiss him before I pulled away, my eyes wide. "Oh my god..."

Ethan looked down. He knew what it was that I had discovered at that moment. All this time, he hadn't reacted to my advances, he hadn't blushed in situations where he should have, he had barely even reacted this time. All of that, it wasn't me, or the fact he wasn't ready for it. He wasn't an idiot, and he definitely wasn't oblivious like I had that after all. It was all revealed in that kiss, the way he felt...

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" I asked in a serious tone. "All this time? All this fucking time?"

Ethan nodded. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't know how to tell you..."

"You didn't know how to tell me you were gay?!" I almost shouted. "Why didn't you just come and say so? All you had to do was walk up to me and be all 'Hey, Kotone, I think I'm gay'. No, you led me on...for years! You made me think I had a chance with you! I...I..." Tears rolled down my cheeks. "I've wanted you all this time! I wanted to give myself to you because I thought you were the right one!" I buried my face in his chest.

Ethan wrapped his arms around me and spoke softly. "I'm sorry, Kotone."

I cried, I really did. I spent the next several minutes crying, in fact. Ethan was the guy I loved, the guy I always imagined myself being with in the end. I imagined him and I down the road a few years. We were married, had a kid or two, we lived in a nice home. I was the Arceus damned Champion of both Kanto and Johto. All of that, all of my dreams, my desires, my very heart, everything shattered in a single moment.

I can't say how long Ethan and I stood there, but I know it was no small amount of time. I confessed everything to him through my tears. All my hopes, all my dreams, the very core of my feelings, I let them all out at that moment. I remember us sitting down in the grass after a few moments and Marill actually walked up to me. She hated me, but she knew something was terribly wrong. I don't think Marill understood, though, what had just happened, just that something Ethan had done had hurt me.

"You idiot!" Marill shouted at Ethan. "Making that bitch cry like that. That's my Arceus damned job."

"Not now, Marill," Ethan shoved her away, which made her angrier.

"You jerk!"

"Enough," I spoke up and Marill looked up at me. "Just...enough..." Marill stared at me for a moment before sitting down. Blaze moved over to her and the two began to talk to one another. I didn't pay attention to their conversation.

Finally, after a good period of time, I stood to my feet. I wiped my eyes, then picked up my shorts. "Ethan..."

"Yes, Kotone?"

I turned towards him and dropped my panties to the ground. "I'm going over to the ocean to take a quick bath. You want to join me?"

Ethan stared at me for a moment. I was completely naked in front of him, and not ashamed of it either. "Why do you want me to join you?"

I smiled. "Because, whether you're gay, straight, or whatever, I still like being near you. So, maybe we could sit together in the water and just relax together?"

Ethan smiled and nodded. He stood to his feet and he grabbed up the clothes he wasn't wearing anymore. We walked over to the nearby ocean from there and he dropped his underwear. I stepped carefully into the cold water and began to shiver. I hadn't even gotten myself in to my knees yet.

"You'll never get used to it that way," Ethan spoke up and stepped over to me. He smirked an evil smirk and I waved my hands. I was going to shout "no" but it was too late. He pushed me into the water. He then chuckled. "Get all the way in and you'll get used to it much faster."

"B-but i-it's fr-freezing!" I spoke through chattering teeth.

"You're the one who wanted to bathe in the ocean. Could have just put my shirt on and gone back to Violet City, but no, you wanted to go into the ocean." Ethan made that entire statement in a very mocking manner. I giggled and he jumped into the water next to me. We relaxed for a few moments as we got used to the water, then we dived down and actually swam around a bit. I had never done any sort of skinny dipping or anything of that manner before. For the first time in my life, I felt truly free.

Something in me after that changed. I'm not sure what it was, but after that, I had found myself having very few qualms with showing off my body. Maybe I had always felt reserved, only wanting Ethan to see it since I wanted him so badly, and now I was free of that, or maybe it was something completely different. All I know is, I didn't care anymore. My body was my body, and I'd be damned if someone hated me for showing it off to anyone I felt deserved the right.

We spent almost the entire rest of the day in the ocean. When we got out, we sat together in the grass nearby, letting our bodies dry before we put our clothes on. Ethan again offered me his shirt, and I took it. We dressed as the sun sat in the distance, and the two of us made our way back to Violet City. When we arrived, the sun had set and the moon was out. Violet City was alight with the brilliant lights of the street lamps and lights from houses. It was looking at a giant Christmas tree, at least, that's how I felt.

We traveled first to a shop where we could buy some clothes, and it didn't take me long to pick something out. Since I was being forced to completely change my look, I figured I might as well do it. I took a black, low-cut, sleeveless shirt along with a red, short-sleeved jacket to go over it. I undid my pigtails and pulled my hair back into one larger ponytail, then got a red baseball cap with a white back. I then twirled it around so it was backwards and I had some hair sticking out the front. I told Ethan that I did it because I liked how sexy he looked with his hat. That made him blush a bit and I giggled.

The last part was probably the hardest for me, though. I had been wearing short shorts for a long time, but since I was changing everything else, I felt it was time for me to change them as well. The shorts I had now were longer, reaching about my knees in length. They were still blue, they just weren't super short anymore. And that was that, I had changed my entire outfit, my entire image. I walked into the store as one person, and felt like I was walking out as someone completely different.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" I asked as I looked at Ethan.

"Doesn't have to be." Ethan smirked again. "You could let me take you out to dinner, too."

I blushed, but then nodded. He did just that, too. We went out to a restaurant, nothing really fancy, just a sit down place where it cost about five hundred pokédollars a person. Ethan and I ate, and we talked a bit more about what to do now. I had no hope of ever being with him, and I talked to him about that. We discussed how our lives should go, and discussed where we should try to meet up next. We agreed to try to meet again in Goldenrod City in a few weeks, but Ethan gave me one condition. I better not show up if I wasn't meeting him as a friend. I had to be over him, to have moved on. I agreed to that condition.

He then did something I didn't expect. He bought a room for both of us at a hotel. He didn't want me to sleep in the Pokemon Center. After all, they are required to accommodate trainers, but the best they can do is push a couple seats together, or let you sleep on a bench. He said I deserved to sleep in a bed. We lied down together that night to sleep. It was the first time I had ever actually slept with him. I felt a little sad that I was sleeping with him, but not in the sexual sense. However, I was accustomed to sleeping naked, so while we didn't have sex, I didn't sleep with my clothes on either.

I heard the alarm go off and I groaned as I reached out for it. I pushed the snooze, then turned back to snuggle against what I thought was Ethan. It was at that moment that I did not find a guy sleeping next to me, but instead, a pink sheep. "Lily?!" I shouted.

Lily giggled. "Hi, Kotone."

"Where have you been?! When the hell did you evolve?!"

"Last night. I went to go for help like Blaze asked, but as I made my way across Route 32, I got stopped by a pack of Rattata. I had to fight them off, and I thought I was going to lose. I thought my journey with you was over...but then it happened, a glow enveloped me and I felt myself empowered. I unleashed a Thunderbolt on everything, and afterwords, I realized I had evolved. I began to wonder after that, but I was lost. I didn't know where to go, then a boy named Ethan showed up. He brought me here and laid me in bed with you."

"Ethan did?"

Lily nodded. "He's a very sweet boy."

"He is." I smiled. "Well, since Ethan seems to have left already, we should think about doing so as well." My stomach growled. "Right after breakfast..."

I had barely stood to my feet when I heard a knock on the door. Someone on the other side called "Room Service" and I opened the door, peeking around it. A man was carrying a platter, and he held it out for me. "Breakfast, ma'am?"

"I didn't order anything, though..."

"That boy...Ethan was it? He did for you."

He was being so helpful all of a sudden. What was up with that? I sighed. Damn it all, Ethan! How am I supposed to get over you if you keep presenting yourself? I took the platter, thanked the man, then shut the door. There was food for the Pokemon as well, and we ate a nice breakfast, one unlike we had had since we started our journey. I then pulled my clothes on and grabbed my purse, the only thing I hadn't lost when I had lost everything else from the waist up. Also the only thing I hadn't changed from my original outfit. "Well, everyone? Let's go!" We headed out. Next stop was Union Cave and Azalea Town beyond that. Little did I know, though, that Destiny was about to play her cards, and they would not be in my favor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Oh my Arceus, finally! We spent three days in stupid Union Cave, I'm not even kidding! It's not like we even did anything in the damn cave, we just wandered aimlessly for days. Of course, we did finally get out of there in the end and I immediately dropped to my knees. "Thank Arceus we're out of there!" I shouted.

"It wasn't so bad," Lily spoke as she walked up to me with a smile. "Sure, we were in there for three days, but even so, it wasn't that bad...unless you count that battle with that fire breathing dude."

Oh yeah...that...

You see, we were wandering through Union Cave. It was nearing the end of our first day, according to my pokegear at the time, and I was starting to get annoyed at how long we had been in the cave. I didn't want to sleep here as the cave was cold and I had already seen a small lake or two as we were walking, and I knew the floor was a bit moist because of those lakes. "When are we going to get out of here?" I groaned.

"We'll get out when we get out," Alal spoke up. Being a rock-type, I figured he'd enjoy the cave, so I had let him out of his pokeball.

"But this cave never seems to end!"

FWOOSH! Fire suddenly erupted in front of me and I jumped back, barely avoiding being singed by the flames. "Fwoosh!" a voice spoke, and from the shadows of the cavern, a man stepped forward. The man was fat, and I don't mean he was a little chubby, I mean he had to weigh at least three hundred pounds or so. He was dressed in a pair of pants with a vest that he had open, with nothing underneath it. The entire outfit looked like a fire erupting from the bottom of his pants all the way to the top of his shirt. He even had his hair styled and dyed like fire. "Fire!"

"I-I see that you have fire..." I spoke up, unsure of what to make of the man.

"Fire is awesome, but if you play with fire, you'll get burned." The man pulled out a lighter and blew into it. I'm not sure how, but that caused fire to erupt off the lighter, whereas such a thing would usually put the lighter out.

"Th-then why are YOU playing with fire?"

The man opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. "Enough chat! You're obviously a trainer what with these Pokemon following around you."

"Yyyes..." I drew out the word, kind of unsure of what else to say in response.

"Let's battle then!" He pulled out a pokeball and tossed it forward. The ball opened to reveal a small fire-type Pokemon. It was in the shape of a red fox with multiple tails. In fact, I think it's usually well known for having about six of them, but I've never bothered to count. The small fox thing was called Vulpix.

"You want to fight me...with a fire type?"

"Yeah, why?"

I turned to Alal, then shook my head. "Well, all right..." Alal moved forward, making the cave rumble a bit as he moved into position to fight. "Alal, let's do this."

Alal roared and the man smirked. "Let's do this, Vulpix! Give it an Ember!" The Vulpix reared its head back and breathed a small batch of embers at Alal, who simply stared at the attack. "That didn't affect it?!"

"Rock/Ground-type..." I spoke up. "Alal, Rock Throw." Alal dug its head into the ground and pulled out a good sized rock. This, of course, made the ground shake, causing the fire breather to topple over. Alal then tossed the rock at the small fox Pokemon, who didn't even try to dodge. The attack struck, making it roll a ways and its eyes swirled. "Next?"

"Vulpix! My precious Vulpix!" The fire breather squirmed, and I just stared when I realized he couldn't seem to pick himself up. "Augh!" he shouted.

"Y-you okay?"

"I can't get up!" he shouted.

"You may want to loose some weight there..." I reached out and tried to help lift him up, but he weighed too much. "Ugh...you're too heavy. Umm...how about when I get out of here, I'll call for someone in Azalea to help you get up?"

Tears appeared in his eyes. "Th-that would be nice of you."

"O...kay then...I think I'll just...go do that now then..." I quickly slipped passed him.

Come to think of it...it had taken me three days to get out of there, and that had been on the first day... I began to wonder whether that man was still lying there, unable to get up. I hoped not, cause if he was, I would feel really bad now. I decided that it was probably best to tell someone he was there anyway, so that was the first thing I did the moment we got into town.

"Well, then, with that taken care of..." I looked around. "What should we do next? I know there's a gym here somewhere." I glanced around for a moment and was about to check my pokegear when something caught my attention. It was a man dressed in black. He was standing not too far away, as if he was guarding something, but all I saw was a well. I was about to shrug it off when I saw an elderly man rush passed me shouting something about "Slowpokes".

I watched him run passed and saw him run right up to the man dressed in black. The two looked like they were having quite a fight. The man kept backing up, and backing up, and oh my Arceus! He fell down the well! I went to rush to see if he was okay when the old man jumped down the well! I rushed over to see if either of them were okay. "Hello?" I called down.

"My back!" I heard the voice of the elder man shout. "Oh Arceus!"

I bit my lip. "You guys stay here," I spoke to my team. "I'm going to go try and help him." I noticed that the well wasn't as small as you'd imagine, and it even had a ladder that led down into it. I grabbed hold of it and slowly began to climb on down. When I reached the bottom, I noticed the old man was lying on the ground, holding his back. "Are you all right?"

"Damn Rockets!" the man shouted. "They've got our Slowpokes, and they're causing all kinds of trouble..."

Rockets? Wait, as in Team Rocket? Now that I thought about it, that uniform did look familiar. A black uniform with a large blood red R emblazoned on the front of it. They had caused trouble three years ago, but they had disbanded, hadn't they? Hiro and Amanda defeated them. They had, but the authorities hadn't captured their leader, or any of their higher ups. It wasn't unlikely that they had come back. "Sir, lie still, I'll get you out of here."

"No, save the Slowpoke first, I'll be fine."

Save the Slowpoke? I looked up. The well seemed to form into a cavern that extended on even further ahead of me. There, only a couple feet away, I saw a pink creature of some kind. It had four stubby legs and a gigantic mouth. The creature was crying in pain, and it didn't take long for me to see why. Where its tail should have been, there was nothing but a bloody stump. Someone had cut the creature's tail right off, then discarded it. "Are you okay?" I asked as I knelt down next to it.

"The others..." the creature spoke in a slow, deep voice. "They need you...it's too late...for me..." The creature's eyes slowly closed as it spoke those words. I could feel its body grow cold and I felt its heart stop.

"It's dead..." I looked down as I slowly stood to my feet. "What's going on here?" I asked the old man.

"Team Rocket stole our Slowpokes. They're cutting off their tails and selling them for money. Slowpoke can regenerate their tails quickly, but I think they're using poison as well..."

I turned to the pink creature. That must have been one of the Slowpokes he was referring to. I nodded and turned back to Kurt. "No problem, old man, I'll help you out. Name's Kotone."

"Kurt, now go save those Slowpokes!" He rolled over and grabbed his back.

I nodded. "Guys, I'm going to need you!" I shouted as I pulled out my pokeballs. "Everyone, return!" I held the balls up and everyone was zapped back into their balls. I then tossed everyone back out a moment later. Everyone except Alal anyway, he was too big for this small cavern. "All right, everyone. We're going to have to play this carefully." I quickly explained the situation to my team and they nodded. "All right, let's go." I turned forward and began to make my way down the cavern.

The cavern became darker for a time as we walked, but then, unnatural light shined forth. There were strings of lights all along the cavern walls, all powered by some power source probably deeper into the cave then I had gone yet. We continued down the path until we saw the guy who had been standing guard up at the top before. He was leaning against the wall and when we appeared, he stood up straight. "That old man knocked me down here while I was guarding up top!"

"Your...point?"

"I'm going to kick your butt because of it!" He pulled out a pokeball.

"It's not my fault!"

"Don't care. Rattata, go!"

Rattata? Seriously? How many people use Rattata? I mean seriously! It's not a very good Pokemon, but almost everyone seems to have one! Whatever... "Sadia, let's do this!" Sadia flew forward. "Give it a Gust!" She flapped her wings, creating a small tornado around the Rattata that sent it spiraling into a wall.

"Don't let it get to you! Quick Attack!" The Rattata lept forward with lightning-fast speed.

"Gust!" Before the Rattata could hit, Sadia created a small tornado in front of her, causing the Rattata to slam into the tornado and fly out into another wall.

"That's not my only Pokemon! Rattata, go!"

"Gust!" I shouted and Sadia created a tornado on the guy's pokeball, sending it flying away. "Now, then, stop whatever it is your doing here! I don't want to fight you."

The guy chuckled. "If you want to stop us, you'll have to take it up with my boss."

"Then lead the way."

The guy did just that, he led me deeper into the Slowpoke Well, and I found myself fighting off a couple of other Rocket Grunts along the way. They weren't much of a threat though, and my Pokemon took them down pretty easily. I even found myself running into a female grunt as well. I had to stop and comment on how short the skirt she was wearing was. Like the others, her outfit was a black outfit with the blood red R on it, but apparently the female uniform came with a miniskirt instead of pants. A miniskirt so short that I bet she'd be flashing her panties if she bent over.

We continued on even deeper into the cavern until we came upon the last of the Rocket Grunts. A quick victory was had over his army of Zubat. "C-Captain Proton!" the Grunt shouted out as his last Zubat dropped to the ground. "We've got trouble!"

There was silence for a moment, and then... "What...the...FUCK...are you talking about?" a voice shouted, and a moment later, the voice was followed by a man stepping out of the shadows. He wore a black uniform much like the Grunts did, but his had a collar on it that had golden trimming. His boots and gloves were white, unlike the gray ones the Grunts wore, and also went all the way to his elbows and knees. His hair was also a very odd color, looking somewhat similar to the color cyan. His eyes were a deep shade of green, and his face showed distaste. In one of his hands he held a long knife, while in the other hand was a Slowpoke, which he was holding by the tail.

"C-Captain Proton! This kid has beaten all of us! We don't stand a chance against her! We have to-" Proton's knife swung, slitting the Grunts throat.

"That's quite enough from you." Proton turned towards me and I felt fear grip me. His eyes were dark, almost frightening, and beyond that, he had just killed one of his own men for no other reason then for talking too much. "So, a kid, huh?" He spun his knife in his hand. "Well, one things for sure, you don't look like the same kid from three years ago." Three years ago? Was he part of Team Rocket during the Saffron Invasion? "You're quite cute, in fact, not like the girl in Lavender Tower." Lavender Tower? Did that mean...was he the one?

"You were the one that killed all those Pokemon, weren't you?" I asked, my body trembling. "You were trying to bring back dead Pokemon, so you invaded Lavender Tower!"

Proton smirked. "The cute girl knows her history, I see. Yes! I am Rocket Executive Proton, one of the Team Rocket Five - the highest ranking members of Team Rocket itself! It was I who was in charge of the Lavender Project, and if it hadn't been for that girl...that Amanda! I would have succeeded in my task there!"

"Why? Why would you kill innocent Pokemon and then attempt to bring them back to life? Why invade a Pokemon Cemetery like Lavender Tower?"

Proton chuckled. "Isn't that obvious? Imagine if you had the ability to revive the dead. Imagine a world where everyone was now immortal. People could battle without fear of their Pokemon dying, people could even live forever by simply restoring their life force when they're about to die! Or maybe, we could have figure out the secret to immortality altogether! No more death, no more pain, no more suffering!"

"You're wrong!" I shouted. "If people could battle without fear of their Pokemon dying, everyone would fight until their Pokemon collapse. And then what? You simply bring them back to life? The Pokemon would be unwilling to fight, because they know they're going to die! A world like that would be terrible!"

Proton stared at me, a very serious expression on his face. "You have quite a mouth on you, just like she did." He twirled his knife in his hand once more. "You'd be a perfect Rocket member," he smiled. "Come, join us!" He swung his knife through the air.

"No!" I shouted. "And put that Slowpoke down, you're hurting it!"

"Am I?" Proton asked in a very serious tone. His knife swung through the air again and I covered my eyes as his knife cut right through the tail of the Slowpoke in his hand. The Slowpoke dropped to the ground, blood gushing from the stump that had been its tail. I uncovered my eyes and rushed to the beast.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Slowpokes regenerate their tails quite quickly. It only takes a day or two. We cut them off, ship them off, and sell them as delicacies."

"Y-you're selling Slowpoke tails...as food?!"

"A quite tasty treat they are. Best when they're raw." Proton held the tail out to me. "Come on, I'll let you try one for free since you're right here."

"No!" I shouted and slapped the tail out of his hand. "You're a monster!"

Proton tried to stiffle a laugh, but he didn't succeed. "Monster? That's the best you can come up with? In the ranks of Team Rocket, they call me the 'Insane One' or sometimes 'The Demented One', or my personal favorite 'The Guy Who Will Gut You If You Fail Your Next Mission'. I'm much more then a monster, little girl."

"You're insane."

"And what IS insanity? Can you tell me that? Nothing more then a title that some man came up with to try to stifle genius."

"Genius?!" I shouted. "You call this 'genius'?!"

"Yes! Genius! Brilliance! Absolutely and positively genius! While so many people are trying to make an 'honest living' by finding jobs in fast food, or even warehouses, I'm out CREATING jobs for myself to do. I get out there and do what must be done to get money. I don't play around."

"So you murder people for money."

"Murder? No. I simply remove those who are weak from the gene pool."

"You kill people for your own selfish gain!" I shouted.

"I kill people because they don't deserve to live!" Proton shouted back.

"And who are you to determine who lives and who dies?"

"Who is ANYONE to determine who lives and who dies? For that matter, who decides what is truly good or evil? You want to know who? Those with money! Those who can afford to pay off those higher up to let them off! Those who have the money to throw around and say 'I think what you're doing is evil' simply because they rule the world! Well, I tell you, once Team Rocket has enough money, we will rule the world. We will sculpt the world into a perfect place. No more sadness, no more death, no more pain, everything will be just...perfect." With that last word, he spoke it slowly with a very dark grin on his face. "And now...I must decide what to do with you."

Before I could even move, Proton had reached forward and grabbed hold of my shirt, lifting me up slightly. I would have struggled, but his knife moved up and pressed against my neck. "I could off you here and now. You'd be dead, and I'd never have to worry about you again." He pulled his knife away, then dropped me to the ground. "But then...you also look like a good source of...pleasure." The last word was again spoken with a dark grin over his face. He bent down, moving close to me. "Yes, you look like you have a nice body." His knife moved around and with a single swipe, he cut right down my shirt. His eyes went wide and the look of a horny dog about to attack its prey was upon him. "If you join us, you could be my personal slave."

Proton's hand pushed upon my cheek as his other hand gripped one of my breasts. I tried not to scream, because I knew such a thing would only give him satisfication. However, my body was twitching, disgusted by the man's grip, and he was feeding off of it. "An absolutely beautiful body." He grew closer to me, and then...he kissed me. Of all the disgusting things he could have done, and he chose to kiss me. I struggled, trying to get him off of me, to pry his lips from my own, but he was adamant.

"Amazing lips." Proton smirked. "I would very much like to explore more of you."

"Don't hold your breath, you sick twat!"

Proton chuckled. "My dear, you're hardly in the position to disagree with me." His knife quickly slid to my neck. His voice then became very serious, very dark. "Do as I say, little girl, or you're dead."

"Kotone!" I heard Sadia shout and Proton turned his attention away from me. Sadia was flying towards us as fast as she could.

"Sadia! Watch out!" It was too late. Proton's hand whirled around and his knife swung, stabbing Sadia right in the chest. Her eyes went wide, and I could see her regret in that final moment. She hadn't been able to save me. She hadn't been able to do anything. Her eyes dimmed and she fell to the ground. "Sadia!"

Proton held his knife to my throat again. "Nice try with the Pokemon." He looked up, presumably towards the rest of my group. "The rest of you! Try anything, and your trainer gets it."

I was afraid. I'll be completely honest with you. I was completely afraid. I was trapped under a man with a knife, one who was threatening to kill me if any of my Pokemon or I moved so much as a muscle to try and stop him. He had me completely under his control. I couldn't do anything, and tears came to my eyes. I didn't want to die, not here, not now, but if I didn't die, what was he going to do to me? Was he going to have his way with me? Would I end up his slave for the rest of my life? Such a thing...it would have been worse then death, but I still found myself frozen, unable to find a way out, unable to think. I was about to be raped, and there wasn't anything I could do about it.

I felt Proton's hands move down my body and my shirt and jacket were pulled off with a single move of his hands. Even my shorts didn't stay when his hands reached them. I was cold and naked, lying upon a damp, cold, cavern floor. My heart was beating fast, I knew I only had a few moments left before he would be having his way with me. His hands began to rub between my legs and I squirmed a bit, trying to escape.

Then, I saw a dark blue light from behind him and Proton found himself frozen in place. His eyes went wide as he began to float slowly into the air, his body now surrounded by a deep blue light. "Wh-what's going on? What's happening to me?"

"Your reign of terror is over," a voice spoke and Proton flew off into a wall. I quickly sat up and there I saw it, a Slowpoke standing nearby. Its eyes were casting the deep blue glow I had seen before. It was using its powerful psychic powers. "Proton of Team Rocket, flee this place or you will face the fullness of my wrath!"

Proton was actually scared! Perhaps it was because the creature had knocked the knife out of his hand. Perhaps it was because his pokeballs were now all scattered between the Slowpoke and him. Perhaps, though, it was just the fact that a Slowpoke had lifted him into the air and tossed him several feet away and into a wall without even a single thought.

"Don't think this ends here!" Proton shouted. "Next time we meet, you'll either be mine, or you will die!" Proton turned and booked it out of the cavern.

I stared at the Slowpoke for a moment, completely shocked by what had just happened. I had never seen a Slowpoke act like that. Slowpoke were dumb creatures, that's why they were called 'Slowpokes'. This one, though, was far from dumb. This one was highly intelligent, in fact! "Th-thank you..." I spoke slowly, unsure what else to say.

"It was about time someone did something..." the Slowpoke sighed. "The elders will not be happy about this."

"'Elders'?"

"The Slowpoke Elders." The Slowpoke turned to me. "We are not supposed to show our powers like this, but so many had died already...and you, you risked your life for us...I couldn't allow such a thing."

"What's going to happen now?" I asked.

"They will send somebody. I will be removed from this place, likely exiled...or worse." The Slowpoke looked down and sighed. "All because of this."

"If that's so, then why stay here until then?"

Slowpoke looked up at me with a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Come with me! We could use another member on our team...especially after..." I couldn't even say it.

"I am sorry for your loss." Slowpoke turned to Sadia for a moment and bowed its head. It then turned to me. "You would...take me out of this place? You would train me to fight and allow me to use my abilities?"

I nodded with a smile. "No problem!"

Slowpoke smiled. "Jake." He held his paw forward. "My name is Jake."

"Kotone. Welcome to the team." I pulled out a pokeball and tapped his forehead. His expression reverted to the typical stupid look Slowpoke have before he was zapped into the ball and it locked. "We got a new partner!" I shouted.

And that was it for my journeys in the Slowpoke Well. Kurt came in only a few moments later and checked on the Slowpoke, making sure they were all okay. He then took me to his home, where his granddaughter, who was no older then six, mended the clothes Proton had cut apart. With my clothes mended, and with a new team member on my side, I was ready to continue my journey. My next stop was the Azalea Town Gym and its Gym Leader, Bugsy. It would then be on to Ilex Forest and the rest of Johto beyond. I had no idea what else waited for me in my journey, but I had the feeling I had not seen the last of Team Rocket.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I want more then ever to hear your thoughts on this chapter! As such, here's a list of questions I'd like everyone reading the chapter to answer (but please feel free to add anything else you want, but these are the things I want the most to know):**

**What did you think of Proton?**

**Do you think the story got too dark with this chapter?**

**What were you feeling while reading the chapter?**

**How well did I convey Kotone's fear?**

**Did her fear feel genuine?**

**Thank you to anyone who takes the time to actually review this chapter! Your input makes me want to keep writing, so if you want to read more, reviewing is the easiest way to make me get motivated hehe  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

So...yeah...at this current point in time...I was standing on a bug... a very large bug... Actually, it wasn't a bug, really, it was a Spinarak, so it was a Bug Pokemon... Except it wasn't really a Spinarak, you see, it was a sort of platform that was designed to look like a Spinarak. In either case, it was a nasty green spider thing with multiple legs, and I wanted off of it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get off of it. I was having to ride on it as it made its way across a large web-like structure that made up the floor of the Azalea Gym.

"So, you've made it this far," I heard a voice speak up as the platform stopped. I saw someone standing in front of me, but they were standing in the shadow of a tree that seemed to sit right in the center of the gym. The web-like floor of the gym had led to several smaller platforms, each with a trainer on it. I had had to defeat all of them in order to finally reach the center, where I assumed the Gym Leader was.

"Are you the Gym Leader?" I asked as I slowly stepped off the Spinarak platform and onto the grassy platform in front of me.

"I am." A girl stepped forward from the shadows. She had purple hair that ended near her shoulder, and she wore a green, sort of girl-scout style outfit...or maybe it was more boy-scout? It had shorts instead of a skirt, which I thought was a little odd if she was going for the girl-scout look. She even had a yellow sash around her neck. She was also holding a large net that was twice as tall as her. "I am Bugsy. If you want the Hive Badge, you'll have to beat me."

I smirked. "Not a problem, though I must say, I'm a little surprised."

"Why do you say that?" Bugsy pulled out a pokeball.

"I'm surprised the leader of the Bug-type Gym is a little girl like you."

Bugsy seemed to become very angry at that. "I am not a girl!"

Wait...she wasn't a girl? "You're not?"

"No! I'm a boy!"

"Then why do you look like a girl?"

"I DO NOT!" Bugsy shouted right in my ear.

"All right, all right, you don't look like a girl! Sorry!" Yeah...she, I mean...he...totally looks like a girl.

"Let's just get this fight started, okay?"

I nodded. "Fine by me. Tepi, it's time to show your stuff."

Tepi stepped forward. You might think it odd that I was using her, but I really never explained much about her until now either. As it turns out, Tepi is a very special Pokemon. Tepi knows a very powerful move that very few Pokemon ever learn. Those that do learn it, well, they're considered Legendary. Or I suppose I should say, most Pokemon that know the move are Legendaries. Yes, she was just a small little egg creature, but she was actually rather powerful.

"That's it? That's the best you can do?" Bugsy chuckled.

"I save the best for last. Send out your Pokemon."

"If you insist." Bugsy twirled the pokeball in he-HIS hand. "Prepare to feel the unstoppable might of my Bug Pokemon!" He tossed the ball forward and unleashed...a...Metapod. No, I'm not even kidding. It was a green cocoon-looking creature with two eyes on the side of it. It was a Metapod. "Now, Metapod, show her your might! Harden!" The Metapod glowed a little and its...skin, I guess you could call it? I dunno, I'll just say that. It's skin seemed to shine a bit, as if it had just been polished.

I groaned. In case you don't know, there are two very worthless Bug Pokemon that exist in the Kanto-Johto area. These are Metapod and Kakuna. Now, don't get me wrong, they both evolve into badass Pokemon, but both Kakuna and Metapod themselves are useless. The reason for that is because all they can use is the move "Harden". Now, that's a good thing for it to survive naturally because it can make its skin hard as rocks, thus making it very hard to hurt it. On the other hand...for use in battle? It's completely worthless.

"Tepi...just...umm...yeah..." I sighed. "Extrasensory." Remember that move I told you about that only Legendaries know? This was it. The room around us began to grow dark and Tepi rose her hand towards the Metapod. Her eyes grew dark, and where the normal innocent look would normally lie, now sat the stare of a monster. Her eyes had changed into a deep purple color, and psychic energy was emanating from her body. It was as if she was growing in size, even though she wasn't. Suddenly, the psychic energy shot forward, striking the Metapod hard enough to send it flying into the air, causing it to get stuck in the tree above us.

"Metapod!" Bugsy shouted. "How dare you do that to my Metapod!" He pulled out a second pokeball. "Now face fear!" He tossed a second pokeball forward and what came out? A yellow cacoon with big black eyes, that's what came out of the pokeball. This was Kakuna, and I sighed.

"Really, Bugsy? Really? I thought you were a Gym Leader. How the hell are you using Metapod and Kakuna? For that matter, what level are they?"

"Level 15," Bugsy spoke proudly.

Wait...Level 15?! Kakuna and Metapod both evolve into Beedrill and Butterfree respectively at level 10! What the hell?! This was like Falkner's damn level 13 Pidgeotto. "Tepi, Extrasensory." Kakuna was sent flying just like Metapod was.

Tears were rolling down Bugsy's face. I'm not even kidding about that! He was literally in tears! "How dare you hurt my precious Metapod and Kakuna!"

"Are you sure you're not a girl?" I groaned.

"YES!" Bugsy shouted and growled. "I may be on my last Pokemon, but Bug Pokemon are tough!"

I rolled my eyes. "Not if they're Kakuna and Metapod."

"Enough! I've spent a long time doing research on Bug Pokemon, and now I'll show you exactly what I learned!" Bugsy pulled out another pokeball. "Now it's time for you to face terror itself." He tossed the ball forward, and my eyes went wide. It wasn't a Kakuna, and it wasn't a Metapod. It was an Arceus damned Scyther! You know how nasty Scyther are? Scyther are fast Bug Pokemon with two long sickles as hands. Its' body is completely green from head-to-toe and it has four small wings on its back, somewhat akin to what you would see on a small fly or ladybug. Its entire body is encased in a tough exoskeleton that is very hard to damage. I was not prepared.

"Scyther, Fury Cutter!" Bugsy shouted and Scyther rushed forward. It brought one of its sickles across, striking Tepi in the chest. I was surprised when she barely flinched.

"That wasn't so bad. Tepi, Extrasensory!"

"Scyther, dodge it and use Fury Cutter again." Scyther moved across the field in a flash. It was fast, faster then anything I had ever seen before. It got right up behind Tepi and struck her in the back. Tepi reacted much more to that one then the one before.

"Don't let him get behind you, Tepi!" Tepi whirled around, but the Scyther moved again. "Damn it...all right, if it's going to do that, then let's step this up a notch. Tepi, Metronome!" Tepi began to wave her hands back and forth. After a moment, her hands began to glow and she tossed them up into the air. She then dropped to the ground, fast asleep. "Oh shit! Metronome turned into Rest!" That was the problem with Metronome, it's unpredictable. Every time you use it, it becomes something different. I guess that was just my bad luck.

Bugsy chuckled. "Fury Cutter!" Scyther shot across the field and swung its sickle. I noticed it seemed to deal an even greater amount of damage this time. Something wasn't adding up with that, either. Why did Scyther seem to be getting stronger with each attack? Why had Bugsy only used that one attack so far?

"Tepi, return!" I shouted and pulled out her pokeball, zapping her back in. "Lily, let's slow that thing down."

"Not a problem," Lily spoke and stepped forward.

"Thundershock!"

Lily built up some electric energy in her wool, then unleashed a bolt forward. The Scyther simply slipped out of the way. "Fury Cutter!" Again with the Fury Cutter, and I watched as Lily was knocked to the ground by a single attack.

"Lily!" I shouted in a panic.

"I'm all right," Lily spoke with a smile as she sat herself up. "Just caught a little off guard is all."

"Then give it another Thundershock!" Lily built up electric energy again, but this time, she watched the Scyther's movements carefully. Just as it moved to avoid her attack, she launched it off, sending it right where the Scyther would be at at that moment. Scyther screeched as it fell to the ground. "Good job! Give it another one!"

"Fury Cutter!" Bugsy shouted again. The Scyther didn't make a move, not until Lily was convinced it wouldn't anyway. The moment her attack shot forward, it moved in a flash and with another strike, even more powerful then before, Lily collapsed to the ground.

"Lily, return!" I zapped Lily back before she took any more damage. I bit my lip and stared at Bugsy. He was still only using Fury Cutter, and it was getting stronger with every use. Wait...that couldn't have been it, could it have? "Blaze, let's do this." Blaze nodded and stepped forward. "We have to do this right, Blaze. First, Smokescreen!" Blaze coughed, releasing a black smoke that filled the platform. "Good, now stay hidden!"

Bugsy coughed a little from the smoke. "Scyther, Fury Cutter!" Scyther slashed through the air, and found itself coming upon nothing. "I missed?!"

"Blaze, Tackle!" Blaze rushed forward, slamming its head hard into the Scyther's chest. The smoke was already beginning to fade, though, and Scyther would soon be able to see Blaze again. But that was exactly what I wanted to happen. I couldn't risk using Ember while the smoke was around. The Smokescreen isn't really smoke, to be honest. Smokescreen is the gas that a Fire-type Pokemon uses to breathe fire attacks. If I used Ember, I would ignite the Smokescreen.

"Fury Cutter!" Bugsy shouted. If my thoughts had been right, I knew exactly what would happen. Scyther rushed forward, but when it swung, Blaze barely flinched from the attack. "No! No no no no no!"

"I was right! Blaze, Ember!" Blaze breathed in as the last of the smoke cleared. It then unleashed a flurry of embers at the Scyther, which licked its exoskeleton. It screeched in pain, slowly stumbling back before collapsing to the ground.

"How did you do that?!"

"I realized Fury Cutter seemed to be getting stronger with each hit. I knew I wouldn't last if you got another Fury Cutter off, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hit either unless you couldn't see where my attack was coming from. The Smokescreen hid Blaze for long enough for you to attack, and when you missed, all that energy built up in your Fury Cutter disappeared. After that, it was simple as using a magnifying glass to kill an ant. Heat a bug up enough, and it'll roast."

Bugsy roared. "Scyther, return!" The Scyther was zapped back into its pokeball, and Bugsy then turned and returned his two cocoon Pokemon. "Not bad, you saw through my strategy pretty well." He stepped over to me and pulled a badge from the pack on his belt. "You deserve the Hive Badge."

That was two badges now, one from Falkner and one from Bugsy, though I still swear he was a girl. Things were looking up, but I could easily tell from that fight alone that future gyms would be getting more and more difficult. Strategy is a big part of Pokemon battling, and each gym in the League is allowed a certain level of strategy. When you reach the eighth Gym Leader, strategy is the only way you'll ever win.

. . .

We stood at the edge of the Ilex Forest, a dense forest that exists to the west of Azalea Town. The Ilex Forest was a direct path straight to Goldenrod City, which was where my next Gym Badge was waiting for me. "All right, everyone, stay close to me, okay?" I spoke to my Pokemon. "Ilex is a very dense forest. We could get easily separated."

"No problem," Lily smiled.

"We're right behind you, Kotone," Blaze smiled.

"I'll always stay with Mommy!" Tepi spoke as she squirmed in my arms.

"Sticking together really is the best solution here," Jake nodded.

"All right then, let's get going." I was about to turn when something caught my eye. "No...it can't be."

Sure enough, it was him, Silver. He was storming right up to me. He did not look happy. "Hey, you!"

I balled up my fists. "What do you want?"

Silver stopped in front of me. "I heard Team Rocket was around here. Know where they are?"

"Long gone. My Pokemon and I sent them packing."

"You?!" Silver shouted and scoffed. "They must be weaker then I thought. Had I known that..." He trailed off as he turned away.

"Silver, you should return that Pokemon you stole and turn yourself in," I spoke up.

Silver whirled around to look at me. "How do you know my name?"

"You dropped your forged Trainer ID. Kind of surprised that you used your real name, though, on a fake ID."

"I was wondering where that went..." Silver smirked. "Well, now you know all about me. What are you going to do about it?"

"I've already given your name and description to the police. They will find you."

Silver started to laugh. "You really think the 'law' will find me? Those incompetent fools couldn't find water if they fell out of a canoe." I noticed his eyes beginning to glance over my body. "Nice outfit." He was being sarcastic.

"Not that you would know."

"Oh, I'd know quite well." Silver reached his hand out and grabbed hold of my wrist, once again twisting me around and pushing my wrist behind my back. "I'd still love a chance to finish what we started last time."

"Hell no." I kicked him right in the balls.

"FUCK!" Silver grabbed his crotch and dropped to the ground.

"That incident in Cherrygrove was the last time you'll be stripping me."

"I wouldn't count on it," Silver grunted.

I turned. "Just...go home or something..." I really just didn't feel like dealing with him.

"You, me, Pokemon Battle."

"And why should I?" I asked as I turned back to him, noticing he was now on his feet and holding a pokeball. "Do you even know how to fight yet?"

"I've known how to all along!" Right... "But, if you're just too scared because you're weak..."

I growled. I was not weak, and I was not scared. "Fine! Bring it on, Silver!"

"Gladly. Ghastly, report for battle!" Silver released a Pokemon with two large eyes that seemed to float in front of the purple-ish gas that made up its body.

"A ghost-type, huh? Tepi, let's do this." Tepi leapt out of my arm and readied herself.

Silver tried to surpress a laugh. "You want me to fight that little thing?"

"Tepi, Extrasensory." Once again, everything around us became dark and Tepi's eyes turned a deep purple. She raised her hand, allowing the psychic energy to launch from her body and straight to the Ghastly. Ghastly roared as the attack assaulted its mind. It slowly floated to the ground, falling unconscious. "Yes, I did want you to fight her."

"THE FUCK?!" Silver shouted. "How did he lose to a weakling like that?!"

"Extrasensory is a very powerful Psychic-type move, Silver. Your Ghastly is part Poison-type. That makes him weak to Psychic moves."

"Fuck you!" Silver shouted before returning his Gastly to its ball. "Fine, then, Croconaw! Destroy that egg!" The Pokemon that came next was the evolved form of Elm's Totodile. It was much taller then before and the small red spikes on its back had become much larger and sharper, it's teeth looked much sharper as well. The strange V-shaped piece on its chest had now seemed to meld into its body, creating a creamy-golden color all around the bottom portion of its body. The creature was ferocious.

"Let me handle my brother," Blaze spoke as she stepped forward.

"He's a Water-type, though."

"I don't care." Fire erupted from Blaze's back and neck.

"So, we meet again, sister," the Croconaw spoke.

"So it seems, brother." Blaze crouched down, readying herself to fight.

"I hold the upper hand this time. My trainer has become much more intelligent and actually knows what I am capable of. If you fight me, you will die."

"I do not wish to fight you, brother. I will if I must, but I would prefer to end this peacefully."

"Peacefully?" Croconaw began to chuckle. "Peacefully?!" It rushed forward and grabbed Blaze by the neck. "Do you have any idea what my trainer has done to me?! Do you?!"

Blaze breathed a swirl of embers, causing the Croconaw to let go. She quickly moved back. "No, I don't, but whatever he's done, we can ammend. Kotone is a nice trainer, she could help you, make you stronger but also care about you."

"I don't want to be cared for!" Croconaw unleashed a blast of water straight at Blaze, who barely dodged the attack. "You don't understand, sister! I enjoy being with my trainer. He's opened my eyes. Trusting in humans to make us stronger is pointless! It is us who must build our own strength!"

"You're wrong!" Blaze rushed forward, slamming into the Croconaw with a powerful Tackle. "As long as I train with Kotone, I become stronger. The bond between me and her gives me strength beyond what you could imagine."

"Is that so?" Croconaw chuckled. "Then show me this strength of yours!" The Croconaw rushed forward and grabbed hold of Blaze around the neck. He opened his mouth wide, then unleashed a powerful blast of water against Blaze. When he let go, Blaze dropped to the ground. "Heh, just as I thought."

"Blaze!" I shouted and was about to rush towards her when I noticed the flames on her body erupting again.

"You know nothing, brother." Blaze stood to her feet. "This boy has deluded your mind." Her fires were growing more intense now. "Perhaps this will show you what I mean." She leapt forward, then curled up into a ball. The fire erupted all around her, forming into a massive wheel of fire. The wheel rolled forward and the Croconaw's eyes grew wide. It opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of water to attempt to douse the fire, but Blaze's fire burned ever stronger. The Croconaw had nowhere to run. The Flame Wheel ran right over the Croconaw.

"What?!" Silver shouted in surprise. "This can't be! I had the advantage!"

I smiled. "When you trust in your Pokemon, and you become friends with them, you can bring out their true powers, Silver."

Silver scoffed. "Trust? Friendship? Please, next thing you know, you'll be telling me friendship is magic." He held up his pokeball. "Return!" The Croconaw returned to its ball. "Friendship doesn't make Pokemon any more powerful then anything else does, and I'll prove that that kind of idealism is just weak." He stepped up towards me. "I'll leave you alone...this time..." He started to turn, but then glanced back at me. "Just one thing..." He reached forward and grabbed my jacket. He pulled on it, pulling me towards him just enough he was able to lay his wet lips upon mine. I kicked him in the nuts again. "Fiesty..." he groaned as he held his crotch again and dropped to his knees.

"Do that again, and you won't be having kids for the rest of your life."

Silver gave a chuckle, then slowly stood back to his feet. "We'll see about that." He turned and walked away. "Next time, Kotone!"

I quickly wiped my lips and spat a couple of times. "Who the hell does he think he is, anyway?"

"I think he likes you," Jake spoke up.

"He LIKES me?" I shouted.

"It's possible, love is highly illogical."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Spock."

"My name's Jake..."

I groaned. "That was a joke, Jake!"

"Oh..." Jake blinked a couple of times. "I did not find it funny."

"Forget it, let's just go!" I turned and lifted Tepi off the ground and began to carry her as we continued our journey towards the Ilex Forest, and into whatever lied ahead.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

You know, within the Ilex Forest, there's a shrine. The small wooden shrine sits in the center of the forest. The shrine is to "the Protector". I don't know anything about who that is, or who built the shrine. All that's known is that the shrine exists. Some say that if you listen, you can hear the voice of the Protector, whispering through the forest. They say that if you do, you should stop and wait. Those who don't are said to disappear, taken away by the Protector. I really have no idea who would believe such stories, but they are interesting.

One things for sure, Protector or no, Ilex Forest is a beautiful place. The sun shines down through the leaves of the trees, creating an almost starry appearance above you. The light floods the land, and it's almost like the trees themselves shine. The wind blows through the leaves, creating a beautiful melody as it goes by. Maybe the wind was what people thought was the voice? It does kind of sound like someone singing, though I guess the legend says the voice is like someone whispering. In either case, I guess it doesn't really matter.

"It's nice here," I spoke as I looked around, making my way deeper into the forest.

"This forest is a beautiful reminder of Nature's true power," Jake spoke as he followed along. "Humans destroy that, though, by ignoring it. They tear the trees down and use them to create paper, which they then write on and toss away as if worthless trash. The humans then build cities in the land they destroyed, and in these cities they build towers as tall as the sky itself which bellow out black smoke that chokes the very air, the very life of Nature herself."

I stopped and stared at Jake for a moment. "That was...very deep actually."

"We, the Slowpoke, are not as dumb as you believe we are. We have ascended to a higher plane of living, one without the need of riches and the cares of the world. We know who we are, and what our purpose is."

"And...what is your purpose?"

Jake stopped and turned to me. "It would take a lifetime for me to explain." He turned back and continued on.

"Mama, Jake talks funny," Tepi spoke as she stared down at him.

"That's rude, Tepi."

Jake chuckled. "It's quite all right. It is true that I talk funny. The things I know...you could only begin to comprehend them in your lifetime."

"So...how did you do it?" I asked. "You know...becoming a higher being?"

"Through trials and tribulations, or as you may call it, 'Evolution'."

"Like...how Pokemon evolve when they level enough?"

Jake chuckled. "No, more like how your race was once nothing but a group of monkeys wandering the world without a care, and now you are needy, selfish, and believe yourselves to be the rulers of Nature. What you don't know is, Nature rules you."

"Nature rules us? How so?"

Jake was about to speak when he stopped in his tracks. "Do you hear that?"

I glanced around, trying to pick up on any strange sounds. I heard nothing. "No?"

Jake pulled himself back, as if readying himself to fight. "Something is coming."

"What's coming?" Just as I spoke those words, I heard it. It was like the sound of something, or perhaps someone, crying out in pain. The forest around us began to shake, as if a great wind was passing through. A wave of energy passed by, and the trees began to glisten a bright crystal. "What's going on?"

There it was again, the cry of pain. I rushed forward, clenching Tepi tight so as not to let her go. "Kotone!" I barely heard Jake shout, but I paid him no heed. I had to find out what that was, who was crying, and why they were crying. I ran deeper into the woods, and I could hear the crying becoming steadily louder as I did. Finally, I reached the source of the voice, finding myself standing in front of a wooden shrine. This was the Ilex Shrine, and there, on top of the shrine, was a green Pokemon.

The Pokemon wasn't very big at all, no larger then my chest. It had two small, pixie wings on its back along with two long antannae on its head. It's body was green in color and its chest had a V-shape on it that separated the dark green of its lower body with the lighter green of the rest of its body. Its head came back into a point, almost like hair, that slowly went from the lighter green color to the darker green color. It's eyes were a deep sapphire and took up the majority of its face. "Oh...Arceus..."

"What is it, Mama?" Tepi asked.

"It's the Guardian of Time, Celebi." Celebi opened its mouth wide and let out a howl, and I immediately recognized it as the crying sound I had heard up till now. "It's hurt..." I set Tepi down on the ground and rushed over to it. "It's okay, Celebi...I'm here now..." I reached forward and Celebi's eyes went wide. It quickly pulled away from me, but then winced. "You're hurt. Let me help you." Celebi howled again and I covered my ears, but something else was happening. Everything was becoming distorted. "I won't hurt you." I reached forward and touched Celebi. There was a wave of energy, and the next thing I knew, the world around me distorted so badly that it all faded away. All that was left was a large empty void of sapphire that seemed to move like ripples in water.

I didn't focus on that, though, instead, focusing on Celebi. "It's okay..." I wrapped my arms around Celebi. "I won't hurt you." The distortions were beginning to calm. "It's okay now..." Celebi's eyes closed, and its body went limp. It fainted in my arms, and the distortions vanished, returning me to the forest properly. "Let's get you to a Pokemon Center." I turned, expecting to see Tepi behind me, but she wasn't there. "Tepi?" I asked and looked around. "Tepi?" I called out. "Guys?!" I shouted. Only silence met me with each shout. "Oh, Arceus...I'm not in my own time anymore, am I?"

. . .

After a short period of running, I stopped at the edge of Ilex Forest, but what awaited me there was not what I had expected to see. Azalea Town was in shambles. The buildings were broken and crumbling and the town was void of human life. That is to say, the town wasn't empty, but instead was filled with Pokemon, who walked around as if minding their own business, as if they owned the place. I wasn't sure how to react, so I did all that I could. "Can anyone help me? This Celebi...its hurt."

The nearby Pokemon turned to me, their eyes growing wide at the sight of me. I saw, what seemed to be, anger in their eyes. "A human!" a nearby Charizard spoke as it took into the air.

"Capture it!" a nearby Marill shouted.

The Charizard flew towards me and I turned to run, only to find myself smacking right into a Heracross. "And what do we have here?" the Heracross chirped. It reached its arms forward and wrapped them around me. I felt something land behind me, I assumed it was the Charizard. "Seems we missed one." The Heracross turned me towards the Charizard.

"She must be part of the rebellion," the Charizard spoke up.

"Rebellion?" I asked. "What are you-"

"Silence, human!" The Charizard's wings expanded wide and I quickly went quiet. It reached forward and grabbed Celebi from my hands. "Ha! Proof of your evil!" He rose Celebi up by one claw.

"What? No! I didn't-"

"Silence!" the Charizard roared. "Take her to Master Kangaskhan. Her trial should be...most pleasant to witness." The Charizard gave a rather dark smirk which chilled me to the bone.

"At once!" The Heracross took off, holding me tight in its arms.

. . .

"Master Kangaskhan!" the Heracross spoke as it pushed the doors to the Pokemon Center open. There, on the other side of the room, was a massive brown creature. It stood at least seven feet tall, if not more. It had large claws and two long ears on its head. What seemed to be a piece of metal sat on the top of its head, like a helmet. It's eyes were deep and red and it stared at me angrily.

"What do you have for me, Heracross?" the creature spoke up. I could only surmise this was a Kangaskhan. I had never seen one before myself, so I didn't really know, but as the Heracross had called him "Master Kangaskhan" it was a pretty good guess.

"We found this filthy human at the edge of the Ilex Forest." The Heracross tossed me forward.

The Kangaskhan stared at me. "What was it doing there?"

"Attempting to capture Celebi, sir."

"That's not-" I tried to speak.

"Silence!" Kangaskhan shouted as it jumped to its feet. I now noticed it had a long tail as well, not to mention its strength as I felt the floor shake when it jumped. It stepped over to me. "Tell me, human, why were you trying to capture Celebi?"

"I wasn't!" I insisted.

"Then why were you found with an injured Celebi in your arms?" the Heracross hissed.

"I was trying to help it. Someone had attacked it!"

"LIES!" Kangaskhan shouted and stomped its foot on the ground. "For years our kind was imprisoned by your kind, yet you're trying to tell me that you were trying to help Celebi and not capture it? Impossible!"

"It's true! I would never capture a Pokemon against its will!"

"MORE LIES!" Kangaskhan stomped the ground even more. "Your kind would do anything to capture us!" He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and lifted me up. "Where are the rest of your kind?"

"I don't know." I insisted, grabbing hold of Kangaskhan's arm.

"Do you take me for a fool? You must have come from somewhere! Where?!"

"From the forest! I was trying to help Celebi and it transported us to this time. I'm from the past!"

Kangaskhan snarled, then turned to Heracross. "You say she was found with Celebi?"

"Yes, Master," the Heracross responded.

Kangaskhan looked back at me and snarled again. "Hmm...I don't trust you, but Celebi is the Master of Time. As you claim, he could have easily transported you here with him." Kangaskhan tossed me to the ground, and not lightly at all. "Take her to the dungeon and tend to Celebi. Find out if there is any truth to this human's story." Kangaskhan then turned to me. "For your sake, there better be." It made a fist. "Otherwise, you'll wish you had told the truth." It struck the ground, creating a small crater in the ground.

The Heracross hissed, then stepped over to me, grabbing hold of me and flying me off. We flew to the Slowpoke Well, and, without even a thought to my well being, the Heracross let go, watching me drop into the well. "And you'll stay there till we come back for you!" the Heracross shouted as it flew off.

"Why does Arceus hate me..." I groaned as I sat myself up, wincing in pain. "And what the hell is going on? What time have I ended up in?" I turned. "Well...at least I'm in a familiar place." I slowly tried to push myself to my feet, but I collapsed to the ground. My leg was in severe pain. I could tell it wasn't broken, based on the fact it wasn't black and blue, but I also couldn't feel it, aside from sharp pain anyway.

"Another human?" I heard a voice ask and I looked up. "Oh...I thought I was going to be here alone forever!" I saw someone rush out of the shadows, but they stopped only a moment after. The man was dressed in tattered and torn clothes. He was an older man, at least sixty years old or more. His face had a good many wrinkles, and his hair had gone gray in old age. "Kotone?"

I stared at him. He seemed so familiar, but how? I didn't know anyone in this time...or did I? "Ethan?"

"But...how is this possible?" I rushed over to me. "You're not a day older then the last time I saw you. And you're wearing the outfit I bought you."

"Celebi...he took me through time..." I sat myself up. "Ethan...what happened in the past? Why are Pokemon holding us captive here?"

Ethan bit his lip and looked away. "Kotone..." he sighed. "You disappeared. The day after you stopped Team Rocket's plans in the Slowpoke Well, you vanished. The last time anyone saw you, you went into Ilex Forest... Everyone thought..." Tears ran down his cheeks. "Everyone thought the Voice had gotten you...that you were...dead."

"The Voice of the Forest is Celebi. I saved him, but he pulled me through time. I ended up here... Ethan, I have to know... What happened?"

Ethan looked at me for a moment, then turned away. "There was a war... It was a terrible, bloody war. After you disappeared, Team Rocket found their leader and he led them to take over the Johto region in a fierce war. And then...HE appeared..."

"'He'? Who is 'he'?"

"Lugia. He appeared from the Whirl Islands and led a terrible war against all humankind. The humans destroyed Team Rocket at the start of the war, and their war continued on from there. The land was left in waste. Humans were nearly wiped out all around the world. Those who survive are either captive like us, or are slaves. Only a small group of humans - The Rebellion - are still free. But...what can such a small group do? We're just humans...we can't stand up to the power of Pokemon. The tools we used to control them are lost, Pokemon won't listen to us at all. No one can stand up to Lugia..."

"What about Ho-oh?" I asked.

Ethan looked down. "Dead...killed by his own brother..."

I gasped. "No...not even Ho-oh could stop him?"

"Nothing could stop him...the only creatures that could stand against him would be the Gods, and we all know that they don't care about mankind. As long as time and space aren't in danger, the Gods won't intervene."

"What if someone were to go back in time? To stop this before any of it happened?"

Ethan looked up at me. "I don't know if it can be stopped..."

I balled my hand into a fist. "I can stop it."

"Kotone, it's going to take more then one person to bring down Lugia. Not even the whole of Team Rocket working together could stop Lugia. There's no way you could stop him alone."

I gave a half chuckle. "That's the thing...I was told that I was the Chosen One...the one who would stop the war." I looked into Ethan's eyes. "I don't know if I really believe it, but all of this happened because I was gone. If I can return to my time, if I can stop this from happening...then I can change the future."

"Kotone..."

"Hey, human!" I heard a voice shout and I looked up. "Yeah, you." It was the Charizard from earlier. "Master Kangaskhan wants to speak with you."

"Don't go," Ethan spoke as he grabbed my hand.

"I have to." I slipped my hand out of Ethan's, then turned back to Charizard. "That Heracross dropped me down there and I injured my leg in the fall. I can't move."

The Charizard growled, then dropped down the well. He grabbed hold of me and lifted me up. "Well, then, it'd be my pleasure to carry you." It smirked as it threw me over its shoulder. "It's been a long time since I last got to do this." It flapped its wings hard, allowing it to take off into the air quickly. We flew towards the Pokemon Center, but the Charizard didn't just take me straight there. He did several flips and twirls in the air, even letting me go several times, only to just barely catch me. He was trying to scare me, and he was doing a great job of it.

He finally dropped me in front of the Pokemon Center. "You can crawl your way to Master Kangaskhan, just like the filthy human you are."

I growled, but did just that. I crawled across the ground, feeling pain rush through my leg everytime I moved it. It took me quite some time, but I finally got into the Pokemon Center and across the room. "Ah, you've finally arrived." Kangaskhan smirked.

"What do you want now?" I asked as I sat up.

Kangaskhan didn't speak, but instead waved to Celebi, who sat next to him. He was still injured, but he had several bandages wrapped around his body. "This is the one," Celebi spoke up.

"You're certain?"

Celebi nodded. "Yes. I was barely able to notice before I fell unconscious, but it's definitely her." Celebi floated into the air. "Young human, I thank you for saving my life, but my life is still in danger. If you wish to redeem yourself, then you must do what I ask."

I nodded. "And what is that?"

"You will be sent back to your time, just after you found me. When you arrive, you must find the one who did this to me." Celebi waved to its bandages. "You must destroy them."

"D-destroy them?"

Celebi nodded. "If you are who I believe you are, then the time has come. You must learn the truth about your destiny. Soon, you will find yourself in a great battle between yourself and the Chosen One of Lugia. At that time, you must not be hesitant, and you must not show mercy. You will be required to kill, or the war you are chosen to stop will occur. Consider this a test. Destroy the one who injured me, learn to kill, prepare yourself. For if you cannot do this task, then you cannot stop the war that is coming."

I didn't know how to respond. I didn't want to kill anyone. I couldn't kill anyone. But...was this true? Did being the Chosen One of Ho-oh really mean I would have to kill Lugia's Chosen One? I had never even thought about that until now. My stomach suddenly felt sick and I tried not to throw up. I couldn't kill someone...no, that just wasn't possible.

"Do you accept this task?" Celebi asked.

"N-no! I can't kill someone!" I shouted.

Celebi glared at me. "You will either kill or be killed." Kangaskhan rose to his feet at those words. Wait...were they planning to... no... If I said no, they were going to kill me? I had to swear to kill someone just to keep myself alive?

"I can't do it!" I cried out. Kangaskhan stepped closer to me. "Don't make me do it! I can't kill someone...I can't!" Kangaskhan grew even closer. "Celebi!"

"Kill or be killed," Celebi repeated.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and I looked down. "No..."

"So be it."

Kangaskhan rose its claws. I turned away, closing my eyes. This was it, this was the end. I saw my entire life suddenly flash before my eyes. And then I heard a scream. My eyes went wide and I turned back and there, standing between me and Kangaskhan was...was... "ETHAN!" Kangaskhan's claw had cut clear through his chest. Kangaskhan tossed Ethan aside. Anger rose in me. I rose to my feet, ignoring the pain in my leg. "Ethan..." Tears streamed down my cheeks. I looked up at Kangaskhan, and in that moment, I saw only him.

I jumped forward, grabbing onto the Kangaskhan's arm. I sent a swift kick into the Kangaskhan's stomach, then unleashed a powerful uppercut into his chin. This caused the massive beast to stagger back. I brought my leg around, kicking the beast in the side of the head. "You killed him!" I shouted and unleashed a punch into the beast's stomach. "He didn't deserve it!" Another roundhouse to the side of its head. "I'LL KILL YOU!" I quickly reached down and grabbed a shard of glass off the ground. I stabbed the beast right in the eye, causing it to roar, blood rolling down its face.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" I stabbed it in the other eye, which made it roar louder. I brought the glass back, and with a quick swing, I cut its neck. Blood glushed from its neck as it gasped for breath. I didn't even care. I stabbed it right though the neck. The Kangaskhan's body went limp.

I heard Celebi chuckle. "There, that's what I was looking for."

I looked up at Celebi, anger still flowing through me. "I fucking killed for you! Are you happy now?"

Celebi nodded. "Yes, but you still must destroy the one who hurt me. You can kill in anger, but can you kill normally? When the time comes and you have no choice but to destroy your foe, will you do it?" I felt the world around me begin to distort. "That, I will wait to see." The world became even more distorted until it became like a void of sapphire again. Tears rushed down my cheeks as I dropped to my knees. As the void faded, the Pokemon Center of my time appeared around me once again. I noticed this for only a moment before I collapsed to the ground.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I had been charged with killing someone who had severely injured a Celebi. I had killed a Kangaskhan, apparently a leader of sorts in that future time I had been taken to. I had been charged with stopping the future from occuring, which meant killing the Chosen One of Lugia. I suddenly wished I had asked who the Chosen One had been. The real question, though, was: Had the Chosen One had to do anything since I had disappeared? It made me suddenly realize just how important I actually was. That future had come about because I hadn't been there. It wasn't that I could stop it, but rather that only I could stop it. I had to stop it. I couldn't let Ethan or anyone else die like they did in that future.

When I had materialized in the center of the Pokemon Center, no one had even taken notice. Such a thing was pretty common with trainers who had Pokemon like Abra, who could teleport you wherever you wanted. Needless to say, the middle of a Pokemon Center was a common one. However, I was alone, and without any of my Pokemon. So, what did I do? I left the Pokemon Center and returned to the Ilex Forest. Being careful, I wandered through the forest, being sure not to be attacked by a wild Pokemon. When I reached Celebi's shrine, they were there, my Pokemon. They were all staring at the Shrine.

"Guys!" I shouted and rushed over to them, and they perked up.

"Kotone!" Blaze shouted and rushed to me. "We thought we had lost you!" The others followed not long after.

"Mama's okay!" Tepi spoke with a smile as she hugged me.

"Yeah, I'm all right, everyone."

"What happened?" Jake asked firmly as he walked over to me. "You have blood on your clothes." I looked away, but then turned back and explained what all had happened. I can't say anyone was exactly enthusiated about what had happened. "So, Celebi expects you to find this person and kill him?"

I nodded. "He said it was a test, to prove if I was ready to fulfill my destiny..." I looked down. "I can't kill someone, though. That's just...it's not right."

Jake nodded. "If the Elders were to hear of this...they'd have a fit."

"There's that term again. You keep talking about them, but you never explain who they are."

Jake looked at me a moment, then looked away. "I...I can't say...If I were to say, they'd have my head."

"Have your head? How so?" I moved closer to Jake.

Jake sighed. "I really shouldn't say anything but...you have a right to know. Once the Elders learn I'm not at the well anymore, they'll likely come for me anyway." He looked up at the sky. "The 'Elders' are nine in number. Nine is the perfect number, as it's an odd number, preventing stalemates in votes. However, nine is also just enough for a diverse amount of opinions, while also not being too many and having too many opinions. Tell me, Kotone. Do you know what a 'Slowking' is?"

I nodded. "It's a Slowpoke that had a Shellder bite it's head, right?"

Jake nodded. "Moreso, it's a Slowpoke who wore a King's Rock when it was bitten by a Shellder."

"Didn't being bitten on the head by Shellder give it intelligence equal to award-winning scientists?"

Jake chuckled. "No, that's just what we want you to believe. Tell me, Kotone, do you know how many Slowking exist in your world?"

"I...no...not really...I don't think anyone's keeping track." I looked at the rest of my team, then back to Jake. "Why?"

"There are nine." Jake turned to look at me. "They are the Elders. Every trainer who has a Slowking believes himself to be in control of that Slowking. In reality, the Slowking have the trainer under their complete control. The trainer does what it wants them to do, and the trainer never knows when their Slowking is missing. Rather, when the Elders meet, their trainers don't even know they left."

"So there's only nine in existance?"

Jake nodded. "If a Slowpoke wishes to become a Slowking, they must challenge one of the Elders. Fail, and the Slowpoke is destroyed. Succeed, and the Elder is destroyed and his King's Rock goes to the Slowpoke. That Slowpoke then evolves and becomes part of the Elders. There are only nine King's Rocks, and as such, there are only nine Elders."

"Then...what do the Elders do?"

"They watch...over everything. The Elders determine what Slowpoke and Slowbro alike are allowed to do and to think. When Team Rocket attacked the well, the Elders response was 'They'll go away eventually'. If I had not acted, they would not have gone away until all the Slowpoke in the well were dead. Because I acted, though, the Elders are likely angry at me. Even now, I am certain they are planning my downfall. When that time comes, I know not if they will allow you to live as well." Jake looked down. "I fear...I may have brought more danger to you then you need, especially now that I have told you this information."

I smiled. "No worries! If the Elders come after you, I'll show them a thing or two. They can't bully my Slowpoke and get away with it! Isn't that right, guys?" I asked the rest of the team and they shouted in support. "See? You've got my whole team and me to back you up. So no worries, okay? We can handle our own."

Jake looked at me and nodded. "I hope so, Kotone. I hope so."

. . .

My team and I continued to make our way through Ilex Forest. We had no real idea where to find the guy Celebi had mentioned, so we didn't concern ourselves with it. If we found him on the way through the forest, we would find a way to deal with him. If not, then we'd simply keep going on. Sure, it meant I'd essentially be failing Celebi's test, but to be honest? It was an unfair test...just like my Pokemon Trainer test. I was suddenly wondering if there was some connection here. I then started connecting that with the other weird things in my life, like the old man on Route 29, or the Monk Elder guy in Sprout Tower and how he had made me just suddenly leave the tower. I wanted to know if everything that had happened in the last couple weeks were connected to me being the Chosen One of Ho-oh.

"Hey!" I heard a voice shout and I broke out of my thoughts. When I looked forward, I saw a woman with black hair that was very short. It was kind of messy, and I noticed her outfit was an orangeish-redish color. It kind of reminded me of fire. That's when I noticed the fire design on the bottom and on the arms of the kimono she wore.

"Hello?"

"Could you tell me how to get out of here? I seem to be lost."

I blinked. "Umm...well...we kind of are, too." I walked over to her. "My name's Kotone." I held my hand out to her.

The woman stared at me a moment. "So, you're Kotone." She held her hand out. "I'm Mitsuru."

"You know me?" I asked as I shook her hand.

"My sister, Yuki, told me all about you." Mitsuru looked me over. "You don't look like a slut."

My eyes went wide and my anger rose quickly at that statement. "Is this the same Yuki that I met at Mr. Pokemon's? Blonde hair and wore a Vaporeon kimono?"

Mitsuru nodded and smiled. "That's the one!"

I growled. "Hate her..."

Mitsuru looked away. "She's a little old fashioned, but she means well." She looked back at me. "I don't mind that you like sex, though." She blushed and moved closer to me ear and whispered, "Actually, I happen to love sex a lot, too."

I blushed and stared at her as she giggled. "I...I never thought I'd hear a Kimono Girl say something like that..."

"My sisters are all old fashioned, but Yuki is the worst. She's the oldest of all of us. I'm the second youngest, actually. My sister, Sakura, is the only one younger then me. Come to think of it, she's not really old fashioned either... but the other three are." Mitsuru then blushed. "Oh, and if you ever meet Sakura and she tries to hit on you...don't worry about it. She just really likes girls." She rubbed the back of her neck, then blinked. "Unless...you like girls, too? In which case, I guess it wouldn't be so bad..."

I stopped her there. "I'm straight, actually."

Mitsuru nodded. "Then you'll probably want to tell her that when you meet her, otherwise she'll probably hit on you."

"So, you said you were lost?" I quickly tried to change the topic.

"Oh, yes! I have absolutely no idea how to get out of this forest. I've been stuck here since yesterday, and there's no phone to call my sisters for help."

"Would my pokegear help?" I held up the wrist that had my pokegear on it.

Mitsuru grabbed it off my wrist in an instant and dialed a number. "Hello?" I heard a voice ask, it was Yuki's.

"You dumb fuck! Why the hell did you send me into this forest? I'm lost, and it's hot, and I ran into Kotone, which is okay I guess, but I'm stuck here because neither of us knows how to get out of here!" She said all of that in one single breath.

"Mitsuru! Watch your language!" I heard a second voice shout from the pokegear. I didn't recognize it, but I guessed it was one of her other sisters.

"Then get me out of this damn forest before I decide to burn it down with Flareon!"

"Don't you dare, Mitsuru!" a third voice shouted, again, likely another sister. "Last time you let that demon fox out, she almost burned down our dance studio!"

"Then get me out of here!"

"Fine! We'll see if we can get Morty to send a Haunter to get you or something, just stay put."

"But it's hot here!" The pokegear went silent and Mitsuru groaned before handing it back to me.

"Would you...like a change of clothes?" I held out my purse. "I have a couple of other outfits."

"Really?" Mitsuru opened my purse up and rummaged through the clothes in it. She pulled out a simple black strapless top and a pair of blue shorts. "This should fit nicely." I didn't even have a chance to say anything before she dropped her entire kimono to the ground. She then slid the clothes on and smiled. "These are much nicer then that Kimono."

"Why were you wearing such a big outfit anyway?" I inquired. "Don't you Kimono Girls not usually wear them outside of Ecruteak?"

Mitsuru rolled her eyes. "Yuki says 'It's almost time for the second coming. We must be presentable at all times.'"

"'Second Coming'?"

"That's when Ho-oh will return to the Bell Tower. When that happens, Lugia will rise from the Whirl Islands. When that happens, the Chosen Ones of Ho-Oh and Lugia will fight, and whoever wins will decide if there will be another war or not."

"And that's where I come in."

Mitsuru nodded. "I really like this top of yours, by the way."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "It was just a normal shirt...then a certain fire-type of mine burned one of the straps. I turned it into that afterwards."

"Well, it fits nicely." Mitsuru turned. "So, shall we see if we can find the way out of here?"

I nodded. "Gladly." We were about to start walking when a thought came to my mind. "Mitsuru...earlier, I ran into Celebi. He told me he had been injured and that I had to find the one who injured him. Would you happen to know who it was?"

Mitsuru shrugged. "Don't know his name, but it was some ginger kid." Ginger...kid...? "He had a mean looking Croconaw. It beat up Celebi something fierce. If I hadn't jumped in with Flareon, Celebi might have died."

No...it couldn't have been...could it? "Silver..." I growled. "Mitsuru, do you have any idea who the Chosen One of Lugia is?"

Mitsuru blinked, then shook her head. "Not a clue, why?"

"I'm starting to think I may know who it is...and Arceus help me if I'm right..." The worst part about this was that I had beaten Silver several times in battle already, but if he was the Chosen One, then none of those was the "deciding fight". That made me wonder, how many more times would I run into him? How many more troubles would he cause me? When would the "deciding fight" take place? I could no longer take Silver as non-chalantly as I had till now. If he was the one, the Chosen One of Lugia, I had to be sure that every meeting with him ended in victory, because any one of those meetings could be the final one, the deciding battle.

On a side note, we did make it out of the Ilex Forest. It wasn't too long after that a Haunter appeared and carried Mitsuru off to the north, towards Ecruteak City. As for me? I kept going. My next stop was Goldenrod City, the monster of a metropolis that it was. Of course, I wouldn't know it yet, but I'd later find out that the city paled in comparison to Castelia City in the Unova Region. Of course, I wouldn't find that out until I moved there, but that's not until the end of this story. For now, this chapter of my life had ended, and the next chapter would begin in Goldenrod City. And, oh boy, what a mess Goldenrod was!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Goldenrod City was a monstrous city. The average building was at least twenty stories tall, if not more. I can honestly say I'm not very savvy in building size, so I really can't say how tall any of them were. However, that wasn't what really made the city so monstrous. What did was the fact that the city was more like a maze then anything else. You walked in and there was a single path that went straight through the city, cutting across the Magnet Train tracks and on to the other side. However, if you walked off that path into any of the other side streets, you found yourself very lost very quickly.

"What do you mean your Pokegear doesn't have a map of this place?" Blaze asked as she stared at me. As I had said, you walk off the path and you get lost. Well, I was looking for the gym, so I had wondered off the straight path. You can guess what our current state was.

"It doesn't have a map of this place. The Pokegear's map is a map of the whole region. It doesn't have maps of each individual area."

Blaze groaned. "Then we're horribly lost..."

I sighed. "That's what it seems like..." I stared up into the sky. "And it's hot! Why is it so hot today?" I tried to fan myself with my hand, but it wasn't helping any.

"It's pretty nice to me, but then, I am a fire-type."

"Yeah, you guys love hot places. Bet you'd love Cinnabar Island."

"Why's that?"

"There's a volcano on the island." I groaned. "And why the hell is it so hot today?" I turned and noticed a window leading into someone's house. I wouldn't have normally looked in, but it happened to be displaying the weather. "It's 35 degrees out?!" I shouted and groaned. "I swear it was only 29.44 degrees out yesterday..."

"We were also in Ilex yesterday," Jake spoke up. "It was cooler in the forest because of the shade of the trees."

"I suppose you're right on that one," I sighed. "I can't take it anymore..." I grabbed my jacket and pulled it off, putting it in my purse. It had been a while since I had last gone without my jacket on. I liked my jacket, it was comfortable, but now it was just too hot for it. It felt kind of weird not having the jacket on, actually. Maybe it was just because I had had one on for so long.

"Well, where do we go now?" Lily asked as we stopped at a crossroads. I'm sure the street signs would have been helpful if I had actually known any of the streets in the city.

I scratched my head and sighed. "Umm...that way, I guess." I pointed to my right. I was wishing I had had a compass now. At least then I could have found which way was north, and since I knew the Magnet Train was to the north, I could have just found that to figure out where I was. If you're unsure what the Magnet Train is, it's basically a high powered train that has locomotives on both sides with several passenger cars in between. The Magnet Train leaves the station in Goldenrod City, crosses the mountains in the east, and eventually ends at Saffron City in Kanto. From there, it travels back here. It's a quick and easy way to get between regions, and they even had a rail that led to the Indigo Plateau. Whenever the League was running, they'd let people who were attending the tournament ride the train there.

That was also part of why it had a locomotive on both sides. It meant it didn't have to have a large area to stop and turn around. It could stop at one location, then simply run in reverse to the next location. The Magnet Train's station was near the northern section of the city, where the Radio Tower was as well. The Radio Tower! "I know how we can figure out where we are!" I shouted and looked up into the sky again. I searched the air for a few moments, then pointed. "There!" I pointed to what looked like a spike sticking up in the air with several dishes on it.

"What's that?" Lily asked as she tried to squint at it.

"That's how we can find our way through here! That's the Goldenrod City Radio Tower. It broadcasts to the entire Johto region. Kanto has one just like it in Vermillion City that broadcasts everywhere in Kanto as well. They were going to convert the currently existing Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town into the radio tower, but after the Lavender Project...people didn't think it wise to disturb the dead Pokemon there again."

"'Lavender Project'?" Jake asked as he looked at me. "I think Proton mentioned that. What was it?"

I nodded. "The Lavender Project was something Team Rocket performed. They were trying to revive dead Pokemon. Apparently, Proton was the head of it. In either case, during it a Marowak died trying to protect her son. Her ghost roamed the tower after that until Amanda calmed her down and got her to leave for the afterlife." I looked down at Jake. "You say Slowpoke are a highly evolved species...do your people know...what happens after you die?"

Jake looked up at me, then looked away. "The Afterlife..." he began, but then paused. "It is unlike anything you've ever experienced." He turned back to me. "We have seen it, but it would be impossible to explain to you what it is like."

"I see..." I looked forward. If I can be honest here? I never really liked thinking about what happens after you die. Some say there's nothing, others say you just reincarnate into something else. Others say there's an afterlife that you go to. No one knows the truth, but apparently Jake did, or he thought he did anyway. I can't really say which was true, but Jake really did seem like a sort of "higher being" if you would.

In either case, we kept on walking. We made our way through complex streets, always keeping the Radio Tower's point in view if possible. We followed that the entire way north until we finally reached the northern part of the city. In this area, I could clearly see the northern exit to the city, along with the gym and Radio Tower. I gave a sigh of relief. "Finally, we're not lost anymore."

"Clever thinking," Jake spoke with a smile. "Not that we're here, now what do we do?"

"We hit the gym, of course." I made a fist and pointed at the gym. "It's time to take on the third Gym Leader!" We rushed forward and...smacked right into the doors just like in Violet City. "Ow!" I shouted as I rubbed my face, then looked up at the doors. I had fallen flat on the ground, just like in Violet City. "Don't tell me this Gym is closed, too?!"

"Oh, it's not closed," I heard someone speak up and I tilted my head to look behind me. The girl was wearing a pair of pink shorts that ended at her knees and had three balloons on both sides near her hips. She wore a loose yellow spaghetti strap shirt that had blue trim on the straps and the top. It was a cut a little low, but most shirts of that style were. The outfit wasn't what really caught me, though. What caught me was the mess that her hair was in. I mean, seriously, her hair was everywhere! It curled in weird areas and made her look like her hair was Mareep wool or something. I'd say it was an afro, but it really wasn't because her hair also came down to about the middle of her back and chest. She also had a necklace that was very long, ending at a pink pendant. "Hi there!" She smiled and bounced.

"H-hi?" I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Oh! Would you like some help getting up?" She reached her hand out and I took it. She helped me to my feet. "Name's Pinkamena Diane Pie, but everyone calls me 'Pinkie'."

"P-Pinkie, huh? Interesting name." I wasn't sure what to think of this girl. She had a wide smile on her face and was bouncing up and down, yet she looked to be no younger then me. "Excuse me, you said the gym wasn't closed?"

"Nope! Whitney's just out right now."

"Oh, so when will she be back?"

Pinkie put her hand to her chin and thought for a moment. "She said something about a contest at the radio tower. I wasn't really paying attention." She shrugged. "But I bet it's super fun if she went! Oh! I know! We should go, too! Don't you think so? I mean really, it'd probably be a lot of fun, and I love having fun! Oh! You know what? I don't think I've ever seen you here before, and I know everyone in Goldenrod City, and when I say everyone, I mean everyone! And if I don't know you, then that means I've probably never seen you before. If I've never seen you before, then..." She gasped. "I need to throw you a party!" She reached into the pockets on the front of her shirt and tossed confetti into the air. "That means I should invite everyone in Goldenrod City to the party! Oh! I bet Whitney would be there, too! Oh, this is going to be great!"

"Umm..." I stepped back a bit. "Yeah...that sounds...great..." I quickly looked around for some reason to run off. "But you know what? I really should be getting to...the place...with the thing...that I'm supposed to be here to do..." I quickly side stepped around her. "Why don't you go have fun with someone else and...I'll see you again...later?" I didn't wait for a response. I took off as fast as I could away from her, my Pokemon following behind. I dashed right into the Radio Tower and quickly hid in a corner. I waited for a moment, to see if she had followed me, then sighed in relief when I noticed she hadn't.

"Oh, hey! We're at the Radio Tower!" I stepped out from my hiding place. I actually hadn't even noticed I had rushed to the Radio Tower initially. "Whitney's around here somewhere, right?" I looked around. I wasn't sure where to find her, so I walked over to the counter. "Umm...Miss?" I asked the receptionist and she looked up at me.

"Yes?"

"I heard there was some sort of contest going on today? Do you know where it's at?"

The receptionist pointed towards the other end of the counter. "Contest is going on right over there."

I looked over and I noticed a girl with a white shirt and blue shorts on. She had pink hair which she had pulled into a pair of pigtails similar to how my hair had been before. As I approached, I noticed it was a button up shirt and the trim on the front and on the sleeves was pink as well. She had only three buttons on the shirt buttoned, though, all right in a line against her bust. I stared a moment, feeling small in comparison to her. Seriously, she couldn't have been any older then me, but her boobs were at least twice the size of mine. Not that I think you really wanted to know all of that.

"Umm...Miss?" I asked as I stepped up to her.

"Not right now, I'm answering a quiz!" She shouted at me and waved at me. When I looked more, she was right. She was in front of a computer and furiously typing on the keyboard, and I mean, furiously typing. I was worried she was going to break it, that's how furious she was typing. She finished up the quiz and stepped back to look at her score. The screen displayed she had gotten half the questions wrong. "What?!" she shouted and began to wail. Seriously, I'm not kidding when I say she began to wail. It was like a banshee wail with literal streams of tears flowing. I covered my ears.

After a few moments, she stopped wailing and sniffled, rubbing her eyes. Then, suddenly, she smiled and pranced off like nothing had ever happened. I stared in wonder. This was Goldenrod's Gym Leader? There had to some kind of mistake. I rushed over to her. "Miss," I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes?" She smiled as she turned to me, folding her arms behind her back.

"Are you Whitney?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm the Goldenrod City Gym Leader Whitney! Why do you ask?"

"Shouldn't you...be at the gym?" I asked.

"Nah, no one's coming today to challenge the gym, so I don't have to work today."

I stared at her. "Actually...I was kind of hoping to challenge the gym today myself."

Whitney stared at me for a moment. "Oh..." She blinked a couple times, then smiled. "Well, then, come by the gym and we'll have a battle, but don't be surprised when you lose."

"I don't plan to lose."

Whitney giggled. "No one plans to lose, they just do." She turned and skipped off.

What was with the people in this city? I mean, seriously, was everyone this carefree? I sighed and shook my head. I guess it wasn't really a problem if everyone was. I mean, I supposed that made for a good place to live, but still. In either case, I wasted no time and headed straight for the gym.

And what do you know? The moment I step inside my eyes were assaulted, literally assaulted, by the interior. The entirety of the inside of the building was bright pink! I'm not even kidding here! The floor was pink, the ceiling was pink, the walls were pink, even the flowers were pink! Yes, there were flowers, they were hung up on the walls that seemed to form some kind of maze through the interior. I'd later discover that the walls were designed to look like a Clefairy.

And then the Gym Trainers stepped up to me and my eyes were once again assaulted by sheer pink. This was the girliest building I had ever been in, and I was feeling like I would be scared for life just for entering here. I sighed. "Well, time to get started, I guess." I groaned and stepped ahead.

I fought through several ranks of trainers. Every last one of them had some kind of cute Pokemon. Most of them were Normal-types, and I quickly realized that the "Plain Badge", which I would get for beating Whitney, was called that for that exact reason. This was a Normal-type gym, which meant Whitney would have all Normal-type Pokemon as well. And every trainer there, every single trainer there, whined at me. They said things like "Oh, you must be one of 'those kinds of girls'," or "Oh my, please don't try to hit on me, I'm not that kind of girl." I also got a "Wow, could you wear anything more skankier?"

Apparently, everyone there thought I was either a slut or a lesbian with how I was dressed. It agrivated me something fierce, and I can honestly say I yelled at them something good, especially the one who flat out called me a slut. "Just because I don't wear as much as you do doesn't mean I'm a fucking slut!" I shouted at her. I got berated the entire way.

"So, you made it, huh?" Whitney asked as she smiled. "So, how did you enjoy travelling through my Clefairy-shaped Gym?"

My eye twitched. "These walls are shaped like a Clefairy? Really? Could this place be any more girly?"

Whitney giggled. "I see you're one of 'those kinds of girls'." I tried not to snarl at her. "Well, that's okay, nothing wrong with that." She kissed her hand and blew me a kiss. That made me stop wanting to strangle her, and instead stare in wonder. She had just blown me a kiss. Was that...supposed to be her way of hitting on me? "So, shall we get started?"

I nodded. "All right, let's do this. Go, Lily." Lily rushed forward, sparks flying off of her wool.

"A Flaaffy, huh? All right, Pinkie, let's go!" Whitney tossed a pokeball and out popped a very round pink pokemon. It had two short legs and two short arms along with two long pointy ears that were brown on the ends. It also had a little bit of...hair, I guess? Whatever it was, it came off the front of her head and swirled around a couple times. This was a Clefairy, and was what the Gym was shaped like.

"Of course..." I groaned. Her gym was fashioned after this creature, so why wouldn't she have one? That just made too much sense not to be true. "All right, Lily, give it a Thundershock!" Lily discharged a bolt of lightning forward and the Clefairy just took the blast head-on. "Wha? Whitney, aren't you going to tell your Clefairy to do something?"

"Oh, I don't have to." Whitney smiled. "Pinkie here knows what to do."

A devilish grin crossed the Clefairy's face and it began to wiggle its fingers back and forth. It was trying to use Metronome. "Lily, Thunder Wave!" Lily unleashed a wave of electricity through the air, but Clefairy rose its hands and a sort of protective shield appeared in front of it, blocking the attack. "Safeguard..." Clefairy returned to wagging her fingers again and I bit my lip. "No worries, that only prevents status changes. Use Thundershock!"

Before Lily could move, Clefairy rose its fingers again. The ground began to shake beneath Lily's feet and she began to look around frantically. "She's using Earthquake!" The ground erupt up underneath Lily, sending her flying into the air. I bit my lip. "Sheer dumb luck..." I hissed. "Lily, Charge up your electricity, then use Thundershock again!" Lily's wool began to spark a little, then a little more. She pulled herself together and unleashed a blast of electricity right at the Clefairy.

The Clefairy rose its fingers again. The Thundershock stopped dead in its tracks, then pulled a U-turn and shot right back at Lily. "Arceus Damn Metronome!" I shouted. "Try again! She can't be that lucky twice in a row!"

Lily nodded and performed the same move. Clefairy threw its hands up again, but instead of reflecting the attack, Clefairy split into several more Clefairies, all circling around Lily. The attack struck the one she had aimed at, and it simply vanished. "Double Team..." I growled. The Clefairy all began to wave their hands. "Lily, you have to find the real one!" Lily roared and unleashed a Thundershock directly to her side, but that was just another fake. A rock erupted out of the ground as Clefairy threw her hands up. "Watch out, Lily!" Lily just barely jumped out of the way before the rock came crashing down on her.

This time, the Clefairy didn't wag their arms. Instead, they all charged forward. "Watch out, Lily!" It was no use, Lily didn't know where to run. The Clefairy and its clone got close and began to slap her hard in the face. "Now! Charge your wool!" Lily charged her wool, and at once, one of the Clefairy dropped to the ground, its body frozen by the electric current running through it. "Now! Thundershock!" Lily unleashed a blast of electricity that electrocuted the little Clefairy. Its eyes swirled and the clones faded.

"Pinkie!" Whitney shouted. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Meanie!" She held out the pokeball and her Clefairy zapped back into it. "Millie! Crush this girl!" She tossed forth another pokeball and at once a pink cow appeared in front of me. It stood on its back legs and the fur around its head was black. The rest of its body, save some spots on its back, was pink. This was a Miltank, and was by far her strongest Pokemon. "Millie! You know what to do!"

The Miltank nodded and took a step back. It jumped into the air. "Lily!" I shouted, but it was too late. The Miltank's foot came straight down, slamming into Lily's face. "Lily, return!" She zapped back into her pokeball and I bit my lip. Ths thing had stomped Lily pretty good. "All right, Alal, let's do this!" I tossed Alal's pokeball forward, releasing my massive Onix forward.

Whitney giggled. It was an absolutely terrifying giggle. It sounded almost maniacal. "You really think an Onix is going to win this fight?" She looked forward, and I swear her eyes had begun to glow a deep red. "Millie, Defense Curl." Miltank pulled itself into a ball. "Rollout!"

Miltank launched forward as it rolled across the ground. It flew straight at Alal and rammed into him. Alal growled as it then rolled away from it. "Alal! Hit it with Rock Throw!" Alal grabbed a rock from its body and tossed the rock forward. Miltank just rolled around it, completely avoiding the attack. It then rushed forward, slamming into Alal once again. This time, he roared even more. The attack was just like Fury Cutter. It got stronger each time it hit, and it never stopped unless it was called off. "Alal, Rock Tomb!" Alal roared and struck the ground, launching rocks into the air. The rocks then flew forward at Miltank, but it rolled right around them.

Miltank rushed forward and slammed into Alal again, making him roar even louder. "Don't stop, Millie," Whitney spoke in a grim voice. "Make her pay for what she did to Pinkie!" Miltank quickly turned and rushed forward again. I couldn't even give off a command this time before it rolled right into Alal, but this time, it rolled right up Alal's body and into the air. "Do it!" Alal looked up as Miltank came down, striking Alal hard in the face. Alal roared again before collapsing to the ground, causing the ground to shake violently.

"Alal!" I shouted. "Return!" Alal zapped back into his pokeball and I turned to Jake and Blaze. Blaze nodded and stepped forward.

"Really? You're going to use that against me?" Whitney began to cackle at this. "Really? I just took out your massive Onix, and you're going to send a puny little Quilava at me?"

"I am not puny!" Blaze shouted. Her back burst into flame and she rolled into a ball. Fire erupted all around her and she rolled forward. Miltank turned and rolled right after Blaze. The two charged head on and Blaze was sent flying into the air upon collision. The fires dissapated and Blaze looked down at the Miltank below. She breathed in deeply and unleashed a powerful Ember straight down at Miltank. The flames licked its body and it jumped back, losing hold on its ball shape. As Blaze landed on the ground, she rolled back into a flaming ball and rolled forward, slamming into Miltank.

Miltank roared, but still stood to its feet. "No way...it's still up after that?"

Whitney cackled again. "Millie can't be defeated! Millie, use Milk Drink!" Miltank grabbed its utter and squirted milk into its mouth. It smiled and pumped it arms. Milk Drink was a move that Miltank knew that allowed it to essentially heal itself. "Defense Curl!" Miltank rolled into a ball again. "Rollout!"

"Blaze!" I shouted. Blaze closed her eyes. Miltank rolled towards her, but she made no movements. "Blaze, dodge!" I shouted. Blaze's eyes opened and at the last moment, flames came from its mouth, scorching Miltank, causing it to drive off course. It rolled right into a wall and stumbled backwards. Blaze rolled into a ball again and rolled forward, striking Miltank in the back with its flames. Miltank wobbled for a moment, then turned back to Blaze. It rose its foot and stomped hard on Blaze's back. Blaze roared in pain, but then released a blast of fire from its back which engulfed Miltank.

"M-Millie?" Whitney studdered, her demeanor changing suddenly. Miltank turned to Whitney and gave a smile before it collapsed to the ground. "Millie!" Whitney shouted and rushed over to her Miltank.

I quickly rushed over to Blaze and looked her over. She was badly injured. I quickly returned her to her pokeball and the ball began to flash. When a pokeball is flashing with a Pokemon inside of it, it means the Pokemon has suffered a nearly fatal hit and is trying to sustain the Pokemon inside. However, pokeballs can't heal injuries, which meant I needed to get to a Pokemon Center, and fast. "How could you?" Whitney shouted as she approached me. I looked up, just in time to feel her hand come across my face. "You hurt Millie! How could you be so heartless?!"

I turned to her and growled. I jumped to my feet and grabbed her by the shirt. "Fuck you!" I shouted. "You think you're the only one who got hurt in that fight? Thanks to that last Stomp, Blaze is dying! Your Miltank may have killed my fucking Quilava, and if that happens, you'll have your ass handed to you by the Kanto-Johto Pokemon Association! You know it's illegal to kill Pokemon during official gym matches, yet you beat all of my Pokemon within an inch of their life! So, you know what? I don't fucking care what happens to your Miltank! It can die for all I care! Fuck you, fuck your Gym, and fuck your Plain Badge!" I tossed her aside. Whitney sniffled, then began to wail. "Fuck off." I stormed out of the Gym.

I sat in the waiting room of the Pokemon Center. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. That Miltank had done a lot of damage to my Pokemon. Lily and Alal had been knocked out, and Blaze...Blaze was in intensive care. I hoped to Arceus that everything would be okay, that she wouldn't die. She had been there since the start, and now there was a chance I was going to lose her. I buried my face into my hands. "Please, Arceus, don't let her die. Please."

I don't know how long I waited. It felt like centuries. Nurse Joy eventually stepped out of the intensive care, her face looking disheveled. My heart sank. "N-Nurse Joy...how...how is she?"

Nurse Joy looked at me, then looked away and grabbed a sheet of paper from her desk. "She'll live, but she won't be able to fight, not for a long time."

I felt a great relief come over me. "What's wrong with her?"

"Whitney's Miltank fractured several of her bones, one of which punctured one of her fire lungs." Nurse Joy handed me the paper. "Until those heal, she won't be able to fight, and when she'll ever be able to breathe fire again..." Nurse Joy looked down. "Maybe never..."

My heart sank again. "Th-thank you, Nurse Joy." I gave her a bow. "I know you did everything you could."

"Would you like us to keep her here until she's mended?"

"Would you?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "I'll take care of her until her bones are mended for you."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." I wrapped my arms around her and Nurse Joy wrapped her arms around me.

"Would you like to file a report with the Pokemon Association? Your Pokemon have all sustained injuries much beyond what is legal limit at a Gym."

I nodded. "That bitch deserves it." Speaking of that bitch, at that moment, Whitney stepped in. She looked disheveled, and her makeup had run all over her face. "What the hell do you want?"

Whitney looked down. "I...I wanted to say...I'm sorry..." She gave a bow. "I don't know what came over me. After you knocked out Pinkie...I lost all control over myself. I'm really sorry."

I gave her the middle finger.

Whitney gave me another bow. "I...I understand..." She pulled out a badge. "Here, you earned this." She handed it to me and I snatched it up.

"I'm still filing a report on you."

"I understand." Whitney gave another bow before running out. I could see tears running off her face when she did.

"Fucking bitch..." I grumbled, then sat down on the nearby bench.

"I'll go fetch the paperwork," Nurse Joy spoke and walked off.

Well, I filed the paperwork. It was a few months later that I was called to stand in a trial against her. Apparently, this wasn't the first time she had gone crazy after her Clefairy had been knocked out. During the trial, they ran an investigation on her Miltank, since her crazy behavior started whenever she used it. It turns out the Miltank was possessed by a Gengar. Her charges were dropped because of this, and the Gengar was exorcised from her Miltank. It all worked out, I suppose. During this time, though, I didn't really do anything. I didn't feel it was right to continue my adventure without Blaze. So, I literally did nothing in the way of travelling and adventuring.

In fact, during that time, I had actually returned to New Bark Town, taking Blaze with me. We stayed with my Mom for a while, and once Blaze was healed and ready to go again, we decided it was time to continue our journey. Unfortunately, the damage to Blaze's lung was irrepairable. She could still breathe gas, but her fire was gone. I didn't care, though. The fact that she was still alive was all that mattered to me.

And so, my journey continued from there. We spent the first couple days on Route 29 again, retraining, and when we thought we were ready, we headed off. Of course, I had a new outfit now because I had been at home so long. Remember what I had said about starting to feel less reserved? Well, it was now the middle of summer, and I'll be damned if there was a single day where it was under 35 degrees for that month. So what did I do? I had decided to start wearing my bikini top as my shirt, along with a pair of my short shorts. I had a pair of sandals on my feet, and I had put my hair back into the single ponytail like I had had it. As for the hat? I stopped wearing it backwards as it helped protect my eyes from the sun. I was also regularly wearing my sunglasses now as well.

And with that outfit on, and my purse slung over my shoulder, I continued on, returning to Goldenrod City. I felt it was good to continue from there, since that's where I had stopped. I wondered, though, what had Team Rocket been doing for those few months? I hadn't defeated them in Slowpoke Well, far from it. I knew they must have still been somewhere, but the question was: Where were they and what were they doing?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Come on, Kotone," Ethan groaned.

"I'm not coming out in this outfit!" I shouted back.

"Why not?"

"Cause the skirt is way too short!"

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad."

"If I bend over at all, I'm going to be flashing my panties!"

"Then don't bend over. It's just for a picture, anyway."

I groaned. I really didn't want to do this. Now that I've caught your attention, since this is the start of a new chapter, and you might have stopped after the end of the last, I bet you'd like to know how I got into this mess. If you might recall, Ethan and I had agreed to meet up in Goldenrod City. Well, I had arrived a day earlier then was planned, which was why I went for the gym. Of course, you know how that went. Since I hadn't managed to meet up with Ethan that day, we had met up in New Bark Town during the time I was there. We had later agreed to meet up again in Goldenrod City, since he wanted to show me around there.

Well, I had arrived a day early again and had just kind of wandered the shops and things of the city. One shop had thrown a bike at me - no, I'm not joke, they literally threw it at me - asking me to advertise their shop by riding around on the bike. I reluctantly agreed, but after I had spent a while advertising, they called saying that the advertising had really helped their sales that day. In response, they had let me keep the bike for free. I'm still half convinced part of why they asked me to advertise was because I was dressed in my bikini top and shorts, but oh well.

I had spent the night at the Pokemon Center that night, and upon awakening in the morning had found Ethan sitting next to me. "You're awake." He smiled.

"What time is it?" I looked down at my Pokegear. "It's only nine o'clock?"

Ethan nodded. "I showed up a couple hours ago."

"You got here at seven in the morning?!" I almost shouted.

Ethan put his hand to his chin. "Six, actually. I walked all night."

"You've been up all night?!" I actually shouted this time.

Ethan chuckled and rubbed his neck. "I kind of slept all day yesterday, so I was up during the night."

"So you're going to be groggy all day?" I groaned.

"No, no. I slept a little now, and I literally slept almost all day yesterday, so I've only been up for like...twelve hours or so. I'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

Ethan nodded. "Absolutely."

"Well...all right then..." I sat up and looked around, then looked down at myself. I made sure my clothes were still on properly - wearing a bikini top when you sleep isn't really the best idea after all - then turned to Ethan. "So, what do you have planned for us?"

"Just a walk around the city. Figured I'd show you some of my favorite places to go." Ethan stood up and held a hand out to me. "But first, breakfast."

I took his hand and stood to my feet. We headed out from there to a little restaurant type thing where they served breakfast. We talked a bit about this and that while we ate, mostly boring and harmless stuff you wouldn't find interesting. After that, we headed out, making our way through the streets of the city. Ethan showed me a lot of things I hadn't seen the day before. Again, mostly harmless and boring stuff you wouldn't find interesting to read about, but I found to be fun and interesting to see.

However, we did eventually make a stop off at the Goldenrod Game Corner. No, don't worry, this one wasn't run by Team Rocket, unlike a certain other Game Corner was three years ago. Here they had all kinds of games, from Slots to Voltorb Flip and even Chess. You had to pay coins to unlock the chess pieces from the board, but they did have it, it just didn't have a payout for winning like the other games. Ethan and I played a couple of rounds of chess there since he had some coins. He won 4-1. The only time I won was by sheer luck when I had somehow managed to knock him down to just his king and I had just a king and pawn. I swapped my pawn for a queen and checkmated him that way. That was the first game. All four games after he wiped me out.

After that, we moved on to other parts of the city until we finally went to The Underground. The Underground was a small plaza of sorts. Merchants set up stalls, and you could go visit them. I guess it was kinda like a Flea Market, just underground. In either case, the Underground spanned the entirety of the underground land beneath the city, so there was a lot down there. My Pokemon and I visited the hair stylists. Granted, not many of my Pokemon had fur or hair, but those that did enjoyed it. I, on the other hand, had gotten my hair cut so it was now straight and down to my shoulders, while I had had my bangs cut in the front.

When I looked in the mirror for the first time, seeing myself without any sort of pigtails or ponytail, with my hair in this style, I almost squeeled. My hair looked amazing! I never thought I would have been able to have my hair in this kind of style and still look good, but I did! I was happy. And then, we came to a photographer's booth. This is where we were in the beginning of this chapter.

"Velcome to zee Photography Ztand," the photographer spoke. "Vould you like to have your photograph taken?" He waved to a nearby room. "Ve have all kinds of fun cozplay that you can vear vhen you get your picture taken."

"Cosplay, huh?" I looked at the room. "Like what?"

"Ve have cozplay of many animez, including zee Pokemon anime and mangas. Ve also have many other anime cozplay, and ve just got a new one in ztock. It iz zee Team Rocket outfit."

"Why would anyone want to take a picture in a Team Rocket outfit?"

The photographer shrugged. "It iz popular right now for zome reazon, so ve got one in ztock. Rather, ve have both zee male and female outfitz."

"Sounds...odd..." I looked at Ethan.

"Why not give it a try? It sounds like fun." Ethan smiled with that comment.

"You kidding me? I don't want to be seen wearing that thing. Team Rocket is awful!"

"Still, it's just a cosplay. It's not like you're joining their ranks."

I glared at Ethan. "I'm not wearing it."

"Well, I'm gonna go put on the male outfit. If you don't want to wear it, find something else." Ethan walked off into the room labelled "Men's Costumes".

I sighed. "Fine..."

And...that takes us back to the beginning. I had dressed in the female Team Rocket uniform, but the outfit was really tight. It felt awkward on my body, even though it was the right size for me. I wondered how someone could wear this every day. That's when I remembered how short the skirt was, and when I had checked, this outfits skirt wasn't any longer then the outfit the girl in the Slowpoke Well had worn. That's why I was screaming about how short the skirt was. Reluctantly, I stepped out of the dressing room and stepped over to Ethan. "You look hot in that outfit."

I glared at him. "Says the gay guy who wants me to be over him."

Ethan chuckled. "Hey, if you had reacted differently, it would have meant you weren't over me yet."

I smiled. "True." I stepped up next to him and wrapped my arm around him.

"Look at zee camera, pleaze," the photographer spoke as he readied his camera. "Zay cheeze!" The camera snapped the picture, and the guy quickly developed it. "Zere you go. Vould you like any otherz?"

"You know...if we want sexy cosplay...I think I saw a cosplay of that one girl from that one video game..." Yeah, that helped narrow it down, Kotone. I mean seriously, how many "one girls" from "that one video game" can there be? Ethan made the same remark. "I mean that girl from that...space game...the one with the weird alien jellyfish things that could only be hurt by ice."

"You mean 'Metroid'?"

"Yes!" I shouted. "I saw a cosplay of her uniform...the...umm...the blue one..."

"The 'Zero Suit'?"

"Yes!" I didn't play video games really at all, they were boring. Ethan loved them, though.

"Hmm...I wonder if they have any cosplay that would fit along with that." Ethan put his hand to his chin. "Oh! I bet they'll have a Mario one. Did they have a Peach one?"

My eye twitched. "I'm not wearing a pink dress..."

"What about Daisy?"

Well, Daisy wore yellow, and wasn't as girly, so maybe. I made that remark to Ethan and went searching. A few moments later, I came out dressed in the yellow dress and gold crown of the Princess of Sarasaland while Ethan came out dressed as her boyfriend, a plumber wearing a green shirt and hat and overalls. I could never remember his name, I always called him "Pencil Neck" cause he was skinny and had a long neck. We took a picture in those outfits as well, and then took a few pictures with our Pokemon in our normal clothes. I even got Marill to let me hold her. I think she was starting to warm up to me after I had stopped chasing after him.

"That was a lot of fun, Ethan." I stretched as the photographer handed us the last photo. "Thank you." We waved and headed off.

"Thank you, Kotone," Ethan spoke as we walked.

"For what?" I asked as I looked over at him.

"For letting me do this as a friend of yours. I know it might have been kind of hard to get over me. I know you've liked me since we were young."

I nodded. "Well, I can't say I'm completely over you, but I'm over you enough. Especially since I have no chance with you." I nudged him.

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah..."

"So, do you have a boyfriend?"

Ethan blushed. "Wh-what?"

"It's a simple question. Do you have a boyfriend? I mean, you are gay, that means you'd like guys and thus would have a boyfriend if you had found a guy you like."

Ethan looked away. "I-I wouldn't say he's my...b-boyfriend..."

"Oh? And who is 'he'? Do I know him?"

"Y-you might know him...he's a Gym Leader."

My eyes went wide. "You're boyfriend is a Gym Leader?"

Ethan covered my mouth. "He's not my boyfriend! N-not officially, anyway."

I moved Ethan's hands away. "And who is 'he'?"

Ethan looked away and sighed. "I-I'm not sure I can say...He doesn't really want anyone finding out about us just yet."

I slowly nodded, taking that thought in. "That's why you two aren't official. That makes sense. Well, I'd love to meet your 'boyfriend' one day." I made sure to put air quotes around the word "boyfriend". "So, where to next?"

"Dinner."

I blinked and checked my pokegear. We had spent the entire day just wandering the city together, and it really was about dinner time now. I hadn't even noticed, which was funny cause I had said the same thing at lunch time as well. So, we went to a fancy restaurant. I had dressed in a fancy red spaghetti strap dress, and he had dressed in a suit. It was at that point that I bugged Ethan about why he seemed to have so much money. All day, he had been pulling money out of his pockets and giving it to shops, restaurants, etc. Anything I wanted to buy, he bought me.

"Ah, about that..." Ethan rubbed the back of his neck again.

"'Boyfriend's' allowance?"

"N-no, nothing like that. Actually, it's because my grandparents own a day care. I work there most of the time, and I get paid a good amount, too." Ethan took a drink of the soda he had ordered.

"Interesting." I looked around for a moment, then blushed. A sudden thought had come over me. "Ethan...what would you think if I stopped wearing clothes?"

Ethan suddenly spit his drink in my face in reaction. I grabbed a napkin and began to wipe my face. "S-sorry, Kotone. It's just...that was kind of an off-the-wall question..."

"But it's an honest one."

Ethan looked away. "W-well, I mean...you have a nice body and all. I-I don't know about walking around naked, though. I mean...isn't that...illegal?"

I grabbed my drink. "Depends on where you go. I hear Olivine City has a nude beach, and Cianwood City is just a small island, so it's all beach front basically. I hear it's normal in the summer there for people to wear just bathing suits or less."

"A-are you thinking about doing that?"

I nodded. "Well, walking around in my bathing suit anyway. I doubt I'd really have the courage to just strip to nothing unless I had a reason to."

"Like when you tried to get me to have sex with you."

I accidently spit my drink in his face. "Guess we're even now." Ethan chuckled. "Yes, I did have the courage those times, but I also had no control over myself those times either. It was like something was controlling me."

Ethan wiped his face. "Your hormones, maybe?"

I shrugged. "Probably. It just...it was kind of like that feeling you get when you're just drunk enough to still know what you're doing, but too drunk to control yourself."

"And...you would know this feeling...how?" Ethan gave me an odd stare.

"I got drunk once, okay? I stole from my Dad's liquor cabinet while he was still around. I was like...fourteen at the time."

Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like something your fourteen-year-old self would do." He took a sip of his drink. "Why did your dad leave, anyway?"

"Mom kicked him out after he attacked her in a drunken rage. Almost called the cops on him. Told him that if he ever came back, she would."

"Oh wow...I didn't know he was like that."

I shrugged. "Dad loved us, but when he was drunk he became angry. It wasn't a problem at first, then he started drinking every day. Then he started getting drunk every day. Then he stopped ever being sober. That's when Mom kicked him out and tossed his alcohol out with him."

"That explains all of the glass in front of your door that day."

I nodded and sat back. "What can you do, you know? I just hope that whatever guy I get together with isn't like him." I got close to Ethan. "Still think you'd make a great husband if you weren't gay."

"S-sorry to disappoint you."

I giggled. "Nah, you should be happy." I looked away. "Be happy as long as you can...You never know what the future can hold." I was thinking about that future I had seen now. "You never know what will happen, or how you'll die..."

Ethan noticed I was being weird and snapped his fingers in front of my face. "You all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I looked back at Ethan and a vision of his older self came to view. I remembered that moment when he saved me from Kangaskhan. "Would you believe me if I said I had seen the future?"

Ethan blinked. "You mean like a psychic vision?"

I shook my head. "More like time travel. Like...I had actually gone there."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed, then told him the future I had been to. I had left out my importance in the whole thing, though, simply stating that someone had been meant to stop that future and failed. Ethan sat back in his chair. "That's...a lot to take in..." He looked down. "I'm not sure whether I can really believe that or not. I mean, it sounds so...far fetched, yet not. You were in Ilex Forest, and that is where Celebi lives. It's possible but... You said I was killed by a Kangaskhan?"

I nodded. "You were trying to protect me, and he attacked you."

Ethan looked away. "A world where Pokemon ruled the world and humans were their slaves... It makes you wonder if we currently live in the opposite world... Where Pokemon are our slaves and we rule the world."

"My Pokemon aren't slaves. My Pokemon are my friends. If any of them wanted to leave the team, though, they'd be free to."

"Even so, we keep them stuffed in those balls..."

"I only keep Alal in his ball, and that's because he's freakin' huge. He's twenty-eight feet long, Ethan. There's no way I could keep him otherwise."

"I know. It's just...we can't understand Pokemon. And I always wonder...if we could, would they say they like us?"

I smiled because I actually knew that answer. "For me and you? I'd say definitely. For people like Silver that mistreat their Pokemon? Well...I can't help but wonder. If a Pokemon doesn't what it's like to be treated right, would they instead find they enjoy being treated badly?"

I thought back on the words of Silver's Croconaw. "I don't want to be cared for! ... I enjoy being with my trainer. ... Trusting in humans to make us stronger is pointless! It is us who must build our own strength!" It made me wonder, if that Croconaw had had a good trainer, would it still feel that way?

"I don't know," Ethan put his hand to his chin as he thought on that. That's when our dinner arrived, and we ate. After that, we made our way to a hotel where we again spent the night, just like in Violet City. That night came and went, and in the morning, Ethan and I parted ways. He returned to his grandparents day care, while I began to make my way towards Ecruteak City. Ecruteak wasn't far, only about a day's journey, if that. I had no idea what awaited me there, and how it would change my life forever.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Why was I doing this? Out of all the things I could have been doing at this moment in time, and I had to be doing this. Why? Why I ask you, why? I know why. It's because of Ethan. He was the one that started it. He was the one that made me get this far into it. Now, I was stuck in the middle of it. What was I doing? I was trying to win the Bug Catching Contest in the National Park. What? You thought it was something else? I'm sure almost everyone thought it was something else. I wouldn't be caught dead catching a Bug Pokemon, yet here I was.

I had started earlier, when I had walked into the National Park. I had sat down on one of the benches and was relaxing a bit, letting my Pokemon play and do whatever they liked. Blaze was sitting on the bench next to me, and I was gently petting her. "Kotone..." Blaze began, and I looked down at her.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure it's okay? That I can't breathe fire anymore, I mean." Blaze had been asking this question ever since we had found out. Every day, at least once a day, she had asked. I understood, though. I mean, she wasn't just my starter, but she was the only fire-type on my team. I had relied on her fire for a lot of things up to this point, and now, thanks to that Miltank, it had all been taken away in one battle, a battle that almost killed half of my team.

"It's fine, honest." I smiled. "I'm not going to give up on you just because you can't use fire anymore. It just means we'll be reliant on you using Tackle and Quick Attack until you learn something more." I looked up. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find one of those Pokemon Tutors and it'll teach you something cool like Body Slam or Mach Punch."

"I don't think I can learn Mach Punch."

I pulled out my Pokedex, then blew the dust off of it. I hadn't used it in a long time. "I can find out." I opened it up to the Quilava page and was looking through the moves she could learn. I frowned when I noticed neither of the ones I listed were available. "Well...once you evolve you can learn Earthquake. You could also learn Brick Break now if you wanted."

Blaze shook her head. "Admit it, I'm useless to you now."

"No way!" I shouted. "You'll never be useless, promise. Yes, you learn mostly fire moves, but what Fire-type doesn't? It'd be no different then if you were a Fighting or Electric-type."

"I'd still be able to use moves of my own type..." Blaze grumbled. "I'm pathetic! What kind of Fire-type can't breathe fire?" She curled up into a ball.

I sighed. She had been like this ever since that fight. I think that fight had hurt more then just her bones and lungs. I think it hurt her self-esteem a lot, too. Blaze had always been the strongest member of my team, and then Whitney's Miltank showed us all how weak we were. And now that Blaze couldn't breathe fire, most of the moves she had practiced regularly were useless now. She had essentially become the weakest member of my team after a single fight.

"I wish I knew how to help you." I continued to pet Blaze and sighed. Just what could you do when you were in this kind of situation? I just didn't know.

It wasn't much longer after that before Ethan walked into the park. I waved to him and he rushed over to me. "Hey, Kotone." He smiled. "Planning to join in on the Thursday Bug Catching Contest?" Thursday Bug Catching Contest? I asked what he meant by that. "You don't know? Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the National Park here hosts their Bug Catching Contest. They open the gate to the Bug Resort portion of the park and each person gets about twenty minutes to catch a Bug Pokemon. Of course, you can catch as many as you want, but you're only allowed to keep one. At the end, they make you turn in all the Pokemon you caught and you pick one. The rest are returned to the resort."

"Ugh...Bug Pokemon...I hate them." I shuttered. "No thanks."

"They're not all bad. Besides, it's not just all Caterpie and Weedle. There's a few Venonat, Butterfree, Beedrill, even some Scyther and Pinsirs I think."

Well, Scythers weren't so bad. They didn't feel as much like bugs as the rest did. "Still, doesn't sound interesting to me."

"It could get you that one last Pokemon you need to fill your team."

He was right, I was one away from having a full team, but was a Bug Pokemon really going to help me? There weren't many types weak to bugs. "I don't know. The only thing I can think of that a Bug-type would be good against would be a Grass-type. Otherwise, I can't really think of any use for one."

"They're pretty good against Fighting-types I hear. Regardless, I'm going to enter the contest." Ethan then smirked. "But, I guess it makes sense that you won't. I mean, you'd just end up losing to me in the contest anyway."

I glared at him. "What did you just say?"

"You'd lose to me. Unless, maybe, you want to try to prove me wrong?" Ethan looked me right in the eyes with that statement.

I jumped to my feet. "You're on! When does this thing start?"

"The Thursday Bug Catching Contest will begin in ten minutes!" I heard over the loudspeaker. "Anyone who wishes to enter, please line up at the gate." Ethan and I rushed to the gate.

No one told me you could only have one Pokemon with you when you entered the Contest. Well, I guess it didn't matter too much, I ended up picking Blaze to go with me, much to her reluctancy. We began to make our way through the forested area that was the Bug Resort of the National Park. I was getting nervous. I didn't like bugs, and now I was competing in a Bug Catching Contest. This wasn't exactly something I was pleased about. But, you know, I had to prove I could beat Ethan. I don't know why it mattered to me, but it did. Ethan had put out the challenge, and I had accepted.

"AUGH!" I shouted as I fell back, staring a Spinarak in the eyes. "Go away!" I kicked it and it scurried away. "Why am I doing this..." I groaned.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Blaze spoke as she glanced over at me.

I sighed. "Why don't we just catch something and get out of here?" I pulled out one of the "Sport Balls" as they had called them. They were special pokeballs used for just this competition. Probably so you couldn't smuggle out Pokemon without people knowing. I had also been forced to hand over all the pokeballs I owned and all but Blaze until the end of the contest.

"I thought you wanted to catch something impressive to one-up Ethan."

"I'm regretting that thought now." Suddenly, I heard something move very quickly behind me. I whirled around, but nothing was there. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah."

Blaze and I watched the area around us carefully until we saw it, a shadow passing us by rather quickly. I gripped the Sport Ball tight and watched. As I saw it pass again, I tossed the ball into the air and swung my leg around, kicking the ball at the shadow. The ball sailed forward, striking the shadow before it could move any further. The creature was quickly absorbed into the ball. "Did we get it?" I asked as I crept over to the ball. I watched the ball shake a few times, then the light vanished and I hear the "click" sound that accompanied a successful capture. "We got it."

"But what is it?"

I picked the ball up and tossed it forward. "Come on out!" From inside the ball was a rather impressive looking Scyther. Its exoskeleton was a darker green then usual, and it had orange spots on its body where a normal Scyther had cream-colored ones. Like any other Scyther, it had long bug-like wings and its hands were long and sharp scythes. It stared at me. "We caught a Scyther it seems."

"What do you want from me?" Scyther hissed.

"We're trying to win a contest. You look strong, dependable, and quite impressive. I'm certain you'd win the contest."

Scyther hissed again. "I am very strong. They call me 'The Avenger'."

"Mind proving your strength?"

"And what good would that do me? You've already caught me."

"Well, that depends. Would you like to go with us? Or would you like to stay here? Your answer determines what you'd get if you were to win."

The Scyther stared at me for a moment. "What would going with you get me?"

"A chance to see the world? A chance to...umm...avenge other things then just this area? I don't know, what do you like doing?"

The Scyther chuckled a bit. "Your bet sounds interesting. I'll prove my strength to you, then. If I win, I get to choose what becomes of me. If you win, then you will be my master."

I frowned. "I don't want to be your master. I hate being anyone's master. My Pokemon are my friends. If you stay with my team, you'll be one, too."

The Scyther nodded. "Very well, then. I shall prove my strength in combat. If I win, then you will release me. If you win..." Scyther snarled. "I'll be your...friend."

"Well, I mean, if you don't want to be friends..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "You don't have to stay with me either way."

"Enough chat! To battle!" Scyther swiped its scythes together, as if sharpening them.

I shrugged. "All right then. Let's go, Blaze." Blaze jumped forward, though reluctantly. "Blaze, Quick Attack!" Blaze rushed forward, but Scyther simply dodged out of the way. It brought one of its scythes forward, slashing Blaze in the back. It was trying to use Fury Cutter. "Careful! Use Smokescreen!" Blaze breathed out a breath of smoke. "Now, Quick Attack!" Blaze jumped forward, slamming hard into Scyther's side. "You can't see my attack, so now what will you do?"

Scyther roared and began to flap its wings. The wind from this quickly blew the smoke away. "Oh...Blaze, Quick Attack!" Blaze rushed forward, trying to get an attack in before Scyther could see again. Scyther just barely dodged the attack, but Blaze rushed around, slamming into its back before it could turn. "Keep it up, Blaze!"

"You cannot win by speed alone!" Scyther shouted. "Where's your flames?"

"Blaze can't breathe fire. Blaze, Smokescreen!" Blaze released more smoke.

"A Fire-type who cannot breathe fire? How worthless!" Scyther began to flap its wings again, but Blaze dashed forward, striking it in the chest.

"Good job, Blaze!" Blaze dashed off as quick as she had jumped at it, jumping back into the smoke Scyther had been unable to clear.

"You worthless wretch! Show yourself!" Scyther shouted only to then have Blaze strike it in the back. "Enough!" Scyther quickly swung one of its scythes and Blaze was sent flying.

"Blaze!" I wanted to rush forward, but the battle wasn't over yet.

Scyther crept its way towards Blaze, raising its scythe up. "A Fire-type with no fire is worthless."

"Use Return!" I shouted. Blaze quickly slid aside, just barely avoiding Scyther's scythe as it brought it down. She then twirled, bringing her leg up and slamming it into Scyther's face. While this doesn't seem like it would do much, considering the size of a Quilava's leg, it actually did quite a lot. You see, Return is a move that gets stronger the closer you are with your Pokemon. Blaze and I were very close, which meant this attack was powered by that. Scyther roared as it collapsed to the ground.

Scyther lied there, staring at the sky for a moment. It rose its scythe and tried to sit up. "I...yield..." it spoke before collapsing again.

"Avenger, Return!" I held out the Sport Ball and Scyther zapped into it. I smiled and turned to Blaze. "I couldn't have won that without you."

Blaze stared at me, then smiled. "Well, I guess I have a few tricks still." Blaze rushed over to me and nuzzled against me.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I giggled and we made our way out of the contest area.

"And for first place, our grand prize winner is..." the announcer spoke as everyone stood, eagerly waiting the results of the contest. "Kylee with her beautiful Caterpie!" Those words were like mallets to both me and Ethan, knocking us right to the ground. We had been so eager to see which one of us had won the contest, and in the end, neither of us had even gotten third place. Instead, it was some asian girl with a puny little Caterpie. I mean, come on! How does a Caterpie compare to a Scyther? That's just not right! When we checked the scoreboard later, Kylee's Caterpie had won with 322 points. Both Ethan and I had tied at 150 points.

"Well, well, a tie," Ethan smiled. "Well, you didn't beat me."

"But you didn't beat me, either," I remarked. "And on top of that, thanks to you, I got a pretty badass Scyther."

"See? Win or lose, good came out of this, yes?"

I nodded. "I suppose you're right." I looked down at the Sport Ball in my hand. "Well, Avenger, welcome to the team. Here's hoping it all works out for you." I placed his ball with my other pokeballs. "Guess it's off to Ecruteak for me."

"Back to my grandparents' day care for me," Ethan remarked.

"Where should our next meet up be?"

Ethan scratched his chin. "Olivine City, three weeks."

"If nothing holds me up in Ecruteak, I'll be there in two."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem making it, should you?" Ethan stuck his tongue out at me.

"Guess not." I turned to look to the north. I could already just barely see the top of Bell Tower in Ecruteak City. "All right, then, let's go!" And so we marched forward, making our way towards Ecruteak City and what adventurers awaited there.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

With a swift kick, I sent a pokeball flying forward, striking a nearby female Nidoran. It was absorbed into the ball and caught without an issue. "Awesome, we've got a Nidoran now." I smiled. I released the Nidoran and looked her over. "Sorry I had to be so rough on you, but I wanted to catch you."

The Nidoran smiled. "You could have just asked, you know?" She winked. "I've been looking for a trainer anyway, so I have no problems joining your team."

"That's good. I'd feel bad keeping you if I knew you didn't want to be part of the group." I waved to the rest of the group. "And these are the rest of the team." Naturally, each one of them introduced themselves to Nidoran.

"Charmed to meet you all. My name's Nina."

That occurred on Route 36, on the way to Ecruteak City. The entire team spent a good while training along the route, and it didn't take long at all for Nina to evolve. Still, this put me at seven Pokemon, and I had to decide which of my Pokemon I was going to put in the PC box. That was a hard decision, since I wanted them all to stay, but I eventually had to make a choice.

We had now arrived at Ecruteak City. Compared to Goldenrod City, this place was tiny. There were a lot of houses, most being very traditionally built, even more so then in Violet City. These buildings all looked like they had come from the fourteenth century or some such. I'm not very good at history to be honest, so I may be way off. Regardless, it was a beautiful sight to see. Not to mention the other thing. Just looking straight ahead you could see it, the majestic Bell Tower. The building was so tall you could have easily seen it on Route 36 and 37, but now you were in the city where it sat. It was right there, just hidden behind a few trees.

And a slight turn to the left had your eyes meeting with the Burned Tower. Remember when I had mentioned in the Ruins of Alph that people had burned down Lugia's tower? This was that tower. The Bell Tower was Ho-Oh's tower, and this Burned Tower was all that remained of the once beautiful Brass Tower. "So, we're here," Blaze spoke as she looked up at me. "The question is, where do we go now?"

"The same place we always go when we reach a city, the Gym," I responded as I began to scan the city for the Gym. It didn't take long to find the Gym, and I began to make my way towards it. I stopped in front of the doors, where I stared. "Why has every Gym been closed when I come in?" I groaned.

"Interesting that our first stop is always the Gym, but the Gym is always closed," Jake remarked. "Perhaps it is a sign that we should not jump for the Gym the moment we enter each time?"

"Maybe..." I groaned. I really just wanted to fight the Gym Leader and get it over with. After all, this was Morty we were talking about. Morty is said to be a medium, a person who can speak to ghosts. His entire Gym is based around Ghost-type Pokemon, and all he and his trainers use are Ghost-types. This was the Gym that I was most worried about because of that very fact. I knew I could easily get passed the other Gyms with enough training, but this wasn't about Pokemon training. This was about getting over a fear of ghosts. "I guess all we can do is wait for Morty to come back..."

Jake went to speak, but I noticed something in his eyes. It was like he was seeing a vision or something. A moment later and he blinked, turning his attention towards the Burned Tower. "Kotone, there's something here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's here, or rather, there, in the Burned Tower."

"'He'? You mean Silver?"

Jake stared at the Burned Tower for a moment before nodding. "The Chosen One of Lugia...whoever it is...he's in that tower right now."

I quickly turned my attention straight to the tower. I bit my lip and made a fist. I suddenly felt very tense. If Jake was right, and the Chosen One of Lugia was in there, that meant I'd know for sure who it was very soon, and if it was Silver... I didn't know what I was going to do. This felt like the perfect set up, though, for the ultimate fight. There, in the Burned Tower, Lugia's original home, the two had brought us together to clash. That's what I thought anyway. "Only one thing we can do," I sighed. "Let's go."

We marched right over to the Burned Tower and carefully pushed what remained of the door opened. As I peered inside, I could see the remains of the Burned Tower. The floor had been reduced to burnt wood with a large hole in the center. There wasn't even a ceiling anymore as the fire from so long ago had burned down every floor above us. Wood was scattered and burnt all over the place, while various bits of other rubble were scattered everywhere. As I entered, I felt a presence, something I had never felt before. I felt like I was in the presence of a god, like omnipotent eyes were bearing down on me.

"So, you came," I heard someone speak and I whirled around. He was there, Silver, standing right in front of me. He had a hand on his hip and his eyes were glancing down my body. "Feh, what a waste."

I growled. "What's a waste?"

"This." Silver got close and grabbed my arm. "I had thought before that you were rather unmodest, but this? You're not even wearing anything now."

I pulled my arm away from him. I was getting stronger if I had managed that. "It's called a bikini top. I'm only wearing it because it's so hot."

Silver chuckled. "Weak as always. Can't even stand a little heat." He waved to his outfit. "You don't see me walking around practically naked just because it's hot."

"That's your choice. I prefer to be cool, thanks."

Silver smirked. "Very well, be cool." He lunged forward and grabbed my arm again. He quickly pinned me to the ground, his other hand grabbing at one of my breasts. "The problem with such an outfit is..." He got close to me. "I can take great advantage of it."

There was a bolt of electricity that struck right next to me, which made Silver jump to the side. "Get your hands off Kotone," Lily spoke with a fierce look on her face.

Silver chuckled. "Oh look, your Pokemon have come to your rescue. How nice." He pulled out four pokeballs. "Have you met my team, yet? I know you met two of them." He tossed the pokeballs forward. "Go! Destroy them!" From the balls came the two he had used before, his Gastly and his Croconaw. However, two more joined this time, a small blue bat-like Pokemon called Zubat, and a metal orb with two magnets on each side called Magnemite.

"I see you have new Pokemon." I kicked him, pushing him off me.

Silver growled as he put his hand on his chest, feeling the pain from my kick. "I see you've gotten even more fiesty than last time." He chuckled. "Good. What do you say? While our Pokemon fight, we can have some fun." He lunged at me again and I kicked my legs up, kicking him in the chest, then tossing him over my head and into the wall. I quickly jumped to my feet.

"How about we don't and say we didn't?"

Silver roared as he jumped to his feet. "Magnemite! Thundershock!" His Magnemite whirled around and launched a bolt of electricity right at me. I screamed in pain, then dropped to my knees.

"You ass... Pokemon aren't supposed to be used...on other people..." I growled as I looked up at him.

"Are you so weak you can't take one electric attack?" Silver smirked as he stepped over to me.

"Lily, Thundershock!" I shouted and Lily unleashed a bolt of electricity right at Croconaw. Immediately, Croconaw launched itself forward.

"Brother!" I heard Blaze shout. "Let's settle this!" I'll be honest, I didn't pay a lot of attention to what happened from there with my Pokemon or his. My mind was focused on Silver. He had changed since I had last seen him. He wasn't nearly as sane as before.

"I will prove to you, Kotone, that I am the strong one here." Silver stepped up to me. "My goal is to become the strongest Pokemon Trainer in the world so that I can conquer and destroy Team Rocket."

"Why? What did Team Rocket do to you?" I jumped back.

"What did they do to me?" Silver roared. "More like 'what DIDN'T Team Rocket do to me?'" He grabbed my arm and twisted it around my back. "Team Rocket took everything I had ever had from me." He pushed my arm right into my back, causing me to bend backwards. "Team Rocket took everything I cared about!" I screamed as I heard a loud SNAP come from my arm. Pain was now shooting through my arm. He then wrapped his arm around my neck. "You are just an obstacle, one of many I must surpass!" I was choking! He was squeezing my neck so hard I could no longer breathe. "I will show no mercy to those who try to stop me." He tossed me forward and I gasped for air. I then screamed as I felt his foot jab right into my back. "Don't worry, though, I won't kill you."

"Th-that makes me feel so wonderful..." I may have put a little too much sarcasm into that statement. Silver pushed his foot even harder into my back.

"Do you want to die?! Because I will kill you if you want me to."

I reached my hand back and grabbed his foot. "No." I pulled, causing him to trip. That gave me a long enough moment to roll onto my back. The pain in my arm was pretty unbearable, and I was certain by now that it was broken. "And I don't want to have to kill you, either."

Silver chuckled at first, but that chuckle grew into a full-blown laugh only a moment later. "You? You think you could kill me?" He pulled himself to his feet. "I'd love to see you try."

"Enough!" A voice shouted, and I looked up behind Silver. There was a man standing behind him now dressed in a blue uniform of some kind. It had red trimming along the front and bottom along with a red streak on each arm. He wore a cape over the outfit, a long, black, flowing cape. His hair stuck up in every angle and was a deep shade of red. His eyes were a deep brown, though I swear they were red with anger. "I've heard quite enough." He put his hand on Silver's shoulder. "Leave the girl alone."

"Fuck off, weakling," Silver shouted and quickly threw the man's arm off his shoulder.

"I'm stronger then you are, boy."

Silver chuckled. "Could have fooled me."

I stared for a moment more before I spoke up. "Excuse me, but, who are you?" I didn't recognize him, not in the slightest.

"Kotone, I'd like you to meet the weakest of the weak, Former Kanto-Johto League Champion and Shittenou Lance." Silver chuckled. "This man lost in the recent Summer Shittenou Challenge to a man named Will, a Psychic-type user."

"Watch your words, boy," Lance growled.

"Please, you think you're strong with your Dragon types? They'd be destroyed in an instant by an Ice Beam. Oh wait, you know all about that, don't you?" Silver chuckled some more and Lance grabbed Silver by his collar.

"I said watch your words."

Silver punched him! Lance reeled back from the punch, which caused him to let go of Silver. "Don't even try to threaten me, Dragon Boy. You've lost every chance of having any bit of respect from me when you lost that tournament. That was your last chance to reclaim your Number 1 spot in the Shittenou, and you couldn't even beat your first opponent. How sad, being kicked out of the Shittenou in the first round."

Lance brought his fist around, but Silver dodged, grabbing Lance's arm and tossing him aside. "Weak, just like Kotone."

I quickly turned my attention to my Pokemon, who had been fighting this entire time on their own. I hadn't even thought about that. "Everyone, return!" I shouted and tossed out their pokeballs. In an instant, they zapped into their balls.

"Are you an idiot? You're Pokemon were in the middle of a fight with mine! Why did you return them?"

"Because this isn't a proper battle." I stood to my feet and grabbed my arm, holding it against my chest. It was in even more pain now. "If you want a proper Pokemon battle, then we'll have one, but outside. This entire tower could crumble if we try to continue fighting like this."

Silver shook his head. "Then this tower's as weak as you." He stomped the ground. "This floor is perfectly sturdy." There was a loud CRACK sound and Silver looked down at his feet. A crack had now formed at his feet and I was about to move when the wood split right down to where I was. The floor crumbled beneath us and we screamed as we fell down into the blackness below.

. . .

I remember falling through an endless void, darkness stretching out all around me in every direction. Maybe I was falling, anyway. Maybe I was being pulled up? Or maybe I was being pulled to the side? I don't know, but I felt like I was falling head first into the void. It was then that I saw a bright light in front of me, and I felt like my descent was slowing. I felt myself come to a stop, and I stared in front of me. Suddenly, the light spread out and devoured the darkness around me. It then ripped open, revealing a bright blue sky above me. I blinked and turned as I felt grass suddenly on my back.

"Where am I?" I asked as I pulled myself up into a sitting position. A sharp pain quickly shot through my arm and I tried my best not to scream in pain. "Arceus damn..." I growled as I grabbed my arm. "FUCK!" I shouted.

"You're hurt," I heard a voice speak and I looked up. In front of me was a tall man, much taller than me. He wore a dark brown kimono along with a gold crown-like thing on his head. The edges of the crown had large red parts that came out like spikes and went down to the bottom of sides of the man's face. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, and he had a moustache on his face that was gray, which was odd considering his hair was brown.

"Wh-who are you?"

"My name is Entei. I am one of the three beasts governed by our master, Ho-oh. You humans refer to as most commonly as 'The Beast Trio'."

"Entei..." I stared at him. "But...you're not a beast."

"Your mind and body are in a fragile state at this moment. As we speak, you are being carried upon the back of my sister, Suicune. She is taking you to the humah hospital."

"Hospital? Wait, what do you mean my mind and body are in a fragile state?"

Entei looked away for a moment, then back at me. "To put it simply...you're dying."

"Dying?!" I exclaimed.

Entei nodded. "You fell ten or so feet. Not only that, but the ground beneath you was solid rock. You were on your back when you struck the ground, so the damage wasn't as much as it could have been had you fallen head first. However, the fact is, you're still dying." I felt a sharp pain flow through my body now and I dropped to my knees. "The pain you're feeling right now, it is only a small portion of what your body is really feeling. Your mind has shut down, going into shock to prevent itself from feeling pain."

I looked up at Entei. "Am...am I going to die?" I was scared. By the way he had said it, it sounded like I was lucky I was even alive.

"No, you'll get to the hospital in time. If the doctors there can revive you, you'll be fine."

"What do you mean 'revive me'?"

"You're dying. Suicune can move quickly, and can even get you to the hospital in a matter of seconds, but that doesn't mean the doctors will have you in Urgent Care before you shut down." Pain shot through my body again and I screamed. I grabbed my chest. My heart felt like it had stopped, and I was suddenly gasping for air. "Do not fear, Chosen One, we will ensure your survival."

I screamed as my eyes shot wide open. I was on a hospital bed, and I could see doctors rushing around all around me. I tried to speak, but I found nothing would come out. I felt my energy draining quickly, and once again, my eyes shut as I passed out.

This time, I stood in a dark room, a single light shining above my head. I turned, looking around at the darkness that was all around me. "Now where am I?"

"She's the one," a voice spoke.

"She is. She has the traitor," a second voice spoke.

"We have found her at last," a third voice spoke.

"Ecruteak City!" I heard nine voices speak in unison. For a split second, there was a flash of light, and I caught sight of something, but I couldn't make out what exactly. The darkness returned as quickly as it had disappeared, and I was left in pure darkness.

"What's going on?!" I shouted and grabbed my head. My head was throbbing. I dropped to my knees, growling from the pain.

I remember awakening in a hospital bed. Next to me was my mother, her clothes were tattered, and her hair was a mess. She had her face buried in her hands; she was crying. "Mama?" I barely managed to breathe out. I felt weak, and my body wouldn't move. The only thing I could seem to move was my head. I noticed she hadn't heard me and tried again. "Mama."

My mother still hadn't stopped crying, but instead, she looked up at me. "Kotone..." I saw tears rolling down her cheeks as she grabbed my hand. "Kotone, please, wake up." Wake up? But, I was awake. I was looking right at her...wasn't I? "Kotone, please, you have to wake up." The door to the room opened, and I watched as the door to the room I was in opened. A doctor stepped in and sat down next to my mother. "Doctor," my Mother spoke as she turned to him, tears still rolling down her cheeks, "she will be okay, won't she?"

The doctor sighed, then reached his hand out and placed it on my mother's. "Mrs. Kamiya...I wish I could tell you she would be fine..." The doctor looked away. "But she's been in a coma now for two weeks. In most cases like this, people awaken after a few days, but her..." The doctor shook his head. "She's nearing the time when most would give up on her ever awakening..."

My mother's face changed to one of sheer terror. "No...she...she'll be okay. My Kotone will be okay."

The doctor looked my mother right in the eyes. "I hope you're right, Mrs. Kamiya. I really do." The doctor stood to his feet. "But still...you must consider the alternative. If she doesn't wake up soon...you'll have to make a choice." The doctor paused as he looked away. "You're the only family she has, so only you can make that choice."

My mother looked down. She was trying to fight back the sorrow in her heart. "I know..." The doctor turned and walked off. As soon as the door shut, she grabbed my hand tighter. "Please wake up, Kotone!"

Just like that, everything had gone dark again. My eyes went wide as I began to feel pain through my entire body. I gripped my chest and screamed. It felt like my heart had just stopped. I dropped to my knees as I began to gasp for breathe. "Am I...dying?" I gasped out.

"Chosen One," a deep, booming voice spoke suddenly, "your destiny is not yet fulfilled. You cannot die yet." I tried to reply, but all that came out was gasping for air. I felt a strong hand take hold of me, and I suddenly felt afraid. I felt like I was being dragged down. "No!" There was a brilliant flash of light, and I heard the high-pitched scream of some unseen creature. Suddenly, a flame appeared before me. "Chosen One, it appears you are beyond the help of humans. However, to allow you to die would allow for my brother to destroy your world. The flame before you is my essence. Take it. As long as I live, that flame shall burn, and as long as that flame burns, you shall live."

The flame flew up into the air, then swirled around me. I felt breath return to my lungs, and I took in a deep breath of air. My heart began to pump once more, and I felt my body come alive. I gave several quick breathes as I stared into the darkness. "Ho-oh...is that...you?"

"It is. However, I cannot appear before you at this time, nor can I explain why I have done to you what I have. All I can do right now is ask your forgiveness for the what I've done, and what I will do."

"F-forgiveness? What have you done?"

There was a brilliant light in front of me suddenly. "Tonight you shall be meet by the Beast Trio. They shall appear in your dream and you shall have the chance to ask them what you need to know. They will tell you everything they can." The light began to fade. "Beware, Kotone! My brother's chosen one knows who you are! He will stop at nothing to destroy you! Already he has met with the Elders. They know who you are, and where you are. They will come for Jake, and will destroy anyone he has associated with as well."

"Jake? You mean my Slowpoke? But why?"

"He has committed the unforgivable sin." With those words, the light faded completely, and I was left once again in darkness.

"No, don't go! Ho-oh! Ho-oh!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Ho-oh!" I shouted as I sat up in the hospital bed. I was breathing heavily, and I put my hand on my chest. "Was that...a dream?" I asked as I looked down at myself. I had cords connected to me everywhere. I lied against the bed, and at that moment the door burst open. About three doctors and a nurse all rushed into the room, crowding around me. I felt my heart begin to pound as I was overwhelmed by them.

As it turns out, they had come in to check on me because my heart rate had shot way up. When they noticed I was awake, they had settled down a bit more. They began to ask me a few questions, like "Do you have any pain?" which was a resounding yes; I hurt everywhere. One of them told the nurse to call for my mother, and it was only a few moments later before she came running in. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but they weren't tears of sorrow like before. These were tears of joy.

"Kotone, I'm so glad you're awake!" Mother shouted as she hugged me, which made me scream in pain. "Oh, sorry!"

I looked around for a few moments before finally speaking up. "What happened?"

According to the doctor, Silver had struck a weak board on the ground of the Burned Tower. The floor had given way from beneath us and we had fallen to the ground below. Silver was lucky, he landed on top of me and sustained minimal injuries; I had taken the full force of the fall. My left arm, which was the one Silver had twisted behind my back, had been dislocated during our fight, more specifically the elbow joint. However, the fall had caused that arm to take even more stress. The bones in my arm had snapped in three spots. That explained the pain, at least. I also had some head trauma from the fall, as well as several bruised ribs. They said I was lucky I didn't have amnesia, or that I was even alive at all. I had been in a coma for two and a half weeks, and my mother had been asked if they should take me off life support. She had refused.

I lied back on my bed and sighed. "So...when will I be able to leave?" I really didn't want to be there longer then I had to be. I hated hospitals.

"Several more days at least," the doctor replied.

"But I have to meet Ethan in Olivine City in a couple days!" I had sat up suddenly during that outburst and it had hurt badly. I lied back down.

"Even if you left today, you'd miss your meeting anyway." The doctor then turned to look at the door. "Would this be the Ethan you are referring to?" He pointed to the door and I looked over. Sure enough, he was there, staring in.

"Ethan!" I didn't sit up this time.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked as he stepped in, stopping next to my bed.

"I am now, thanks to Ho-oh." That...just kind of slipped out. Everyone began staring at me very hard all of a sudden. "Wh-what?"

"Did you say 'Ho-oh'?" the doctor asked.

"U-umm..." I tried to think of something that rhymed with "Ho-oh" but nothing came to mind. "N-no..."

Ethan got close to me. "What about Ho-oh?" he whispered to me.

"Later," I whispered back. He nodded in response.

"I hate to cut this short, but Kotone needs her rest," the doctor spoke up.

"I've rested enough, I was asleep for two and a half weeks!"

"You were in a coma, not asleep. In a coma, your body doesn't go into a resting state. Essentially, you've been awake now for two and a half weeks straight."

"I..." I had nothing to say. In fact, my mind had frozen on that thought, and I felt my body beginning to shut down. My body was entering a resting state, and I wasn't going to be able to stay awake for long. "All right..." I spoke before closing my eyes.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in a large green field only a few feet away from a body of water, I guessed either a lake or an ocean. I heard thunder rumble, and I looked up into the sky, seeing a dark cloud high in the sky. It was circular in design, and lightning coursed through it. In the center was an opening where there seemed to be a big ball of lightning inside. I then heard the sound of fire from behind me and I whirled around, seeing a large flame erupt from the ground. I jumped back, then I heard the sound of water rippling. I turned and saw a beautiful sight. Upon the water stood a woman, dressed in a beautiful blue kimono. There where white diamond shapes all down the arms of the kimono, as well as on the wrap around her stomach. Her amethyst hair flowed like a river and ended at her waist.

I saw a bolt of lightning then shoot straight down next to me and I jumped back. What appeared from the bolt was a man, slightly shorter then the girl on the water. He wore a yellow kimono with black symbols, kind of like a diamond shape that didn't reach a point on one end, but instead formed a sort of jagged C shape. The symbols were on the arms and the wrap just like girls diamonds had been. His hair was a lighter shade of purple then the girl's, bordering on white. His hair reached down straight to his knees. Finally, from the flames stepped Entei, once again donning his human form from before.

"Are you three...the Beast Trio?" I asked.

The man in the yellow kimono nodded. "I am Raikou, Lord of Thunder. You have already met my brother, Entei, Lord of Flame. And this is our sister, Suicune, Mistress of Water." He waved to the girl on the water.

I turned to Suicune and stared at her. "You're really pretty."

Suicune giggled. "Yes, I get that a lot." She took her hand and she pushed her hair back, letting it flow in the wind for a moment. "I'm definitely the most beautiful of the three of us."

"You're also the only girl, thus the only one who can be really classified as 'beautiful'," Entei spoke up.

"Oh, please, Entei, you know the humans see all three of us as genderless," Suicune winked at Entei. "That means we can all be beautiful. You would just rather spend your time running through fire and lava then spend time carrying for your fur."

"Enough prattling, let's get down to business," Raikou spoke up.

"And once again, the youngest tries to lead." Entei shook his head and sighed. "But it is a good idea." He turned to me. "Kotone, you must have many questions for us."

"Are you kidding?!" I shouted. "Where the hell do I even start?!"

Suicune giggled. "Oh, I like this one, she's fiesty, not like the last one."

Last one? Wait, what? "What do you mean... 'last one'?"

"Oops..." Suicune covered her mother.

Entei rolled his eyes. "Way to go, sister." Entei cleared his throat. "I suppose you were going to find this out eventually. You are not the first that has been chosen by Ho-oh to stop Lugia. In fact, you're the fourth."

"Fourth?!" I shouted.

"Calm." Raikou rose his hand. "The three before you all met with terrible fates. The first was killed in the Saffron Invasion in Kanto. The second vanished at the Seafoam Islands two years ago, we suspect Articuno. The third..."

Entei stared at Raikou for a moment before speaking up. "The third is one you know. He was chosen by Ho-oh last year, but something happened...something that changed him. He journeyed to Mt. Silver and hasn't been seen since."

"Hiro!" I shouted. "The third was...Hiro?"

Entei nodded. "Ho-oh thought he would be the best choice, as he was a strong trainer, but when he disappeared, he turned to you."

"But why me?"

"Because you passed his test." Suicune stepped up next to me with those words. "Don't you remember your final test at your school?"

"Wait...the Misdreavus and the Nidoran...that was him?!"

Raikou nodded. "You seemed to be a strong trainer, but the three before you had been strong trainers as well. All three had been very advanced trainers, and would have easily captured the Misdreavus. You, however, failed, which meant you passed his test."

"I...failed the test...which made me succeed?" I tilted my head. "How does that even make sense?!"

"Ho-oh needed someone new, someone capable of great mistakes," Entei spoke up. "He needed someone who was still weak enough to mold, but strong enough to stand on her own feet. That was you. You passed your first two tests with flying colors. On the third, you showed your ability in battle, you showed you could win. The fourth was to test how well you could be molded. Capturing Misdreavus meant you knew too much and were set in your ways. Failure meant you had the ability to be shaped the way we needed."

"So, Ho-oh gave me the ability to talk to Pokemon after that."

"Not exactly." Raikou wagged a finger. "Ho-oh set in motion a series of events that would change your life. First, Ho-oh created that Togepi egg of yours. It held much of his power, which would then be transferred to you. However, it transferred in ways we did not expect. When you catch a Pokemon, you kick the pokeball, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes, but what-"

"One of the abilities Ho-oh gave you was the ability to catch any Pokemon you needed. The power transferred to your legs, instead of your hands, so when you kick the ball, you'll always capture the Pokemon."

"Then...that's why I can do that..."

Entei nodded. "You can also speak to Pokemon, an ability we knew you would need. The main reason was so that we could contact you, but also so you could reach the Ruins of Alph. The Unown there guard ancient secrets. One of those, as you know, pertained to you. You needed to read it, so he gave you the ability to do so."

"That explains those two things but...what about...umm..." I looked away, my face burning red now. "What about the whole 'sex crazed' thing I have going on?"

Suicune sighed. "It's an unfortunate side effect. In order to make you want to go on this path, to be his Chosen One, we needed to increase your desires. We knew that if your desires were fulfilled, you would be more likely to follow us. We did not expect your strongest desire to be..." She paused for a moment. "...Sex..."

I looked down, my face burning even redder now. "I-I didn't either until it happened."

Entei cleared his throat. "That is why, though, you passed out when you touched the egg the first time. It was Ho-oh's power flowing into you from the egg."

I nodded. "I wondered if it might have been that, since the strange things started after I touched the egg." We all stood in silence for a moment, then I spoke up. "So, the Chosen One of Lugia knows me, but who is he? I have a suspicion but-"

"You have met him already. He is a wicked man who seeks power to exact revenge on those who wronged him three years ago."

"What happened to him three years ago?"

Entei looked at me. "He lost a fight that was important to him. It shattered his spirit, and he has since been slowly slipping away. He grows more and more insane with each passing day. Lugia is hardening his heart, making him hate everyone and everything. I fear it won't be much longer before Lugia makes him lash out on the world."

"Then I have to stop him before that happens." I made a fist.

"No!" Entei roared. "You are not yet strong enough. Face the rest of the Johto gyms and compete in the League Tournament. You must become this year's champion in order to gain entry to where you must go next."

"Where am I going?"

The three looked away and there was silence for a time. "You must find the three before you. Their spirits roam the lands where they died - Saffron, Seafoam Islands, and Mt. Silver."

"Wait, you mean Hiro's dead?!"

"Unknown, but if he is, his spirit is locked there. If not, then he has not returned from there. Whichever the case, he rests there. To access Mt. Silver, you will need all sixteen badges from both Kanto and Johto combined. As well, if you can become the champion, you will be able to search Kanto easier for the other two then if you were not."

I nodded. "So, defeat the Johto gyms, compete in the League Tournament, become the champion, then go to Kanto and search for the first three Chosen Ones. What do I do when I find them?"

"You must destroy them." Raikou had said that so seriously, so calmly, I was taken back. Again, I was being told I had to kill. Sure, this time I was fighting ghosts, so I was really just making them pass on, but there was a chance one of them wasn't a ghost. Ghost or not, I would still have to destroy him.

"I...I can't..."

"You must!" Entei roared and I jumped back. I suddenly felt like Entei was going to swallow me up if I didn't do what he said. This was the same way I had felt just before I killed the Kanghaskhan in the future, that fear I was going to die.

"But why?"

"Their spirits do not belong in this world," Suicune spoke. "They must be sent to the Afterlife." She put her hands on my shoulders, then slowly moved her hands down my arms.

"But what if Hiro's not dead? What if he's alive?"

"If Hiro still lives, he is but a shell of who he was," Raikou responded. "He would be a mindless body with no soul. Even the Chosen One of Lugia is less of a threat then he would be."

"I know you don't want to kill anyone, Kotone." Suicune brushed her hand against my cheek. "If Hiro has survived, then it is only his body. His mind and soul are gone. You'd not be killing him. It would be more like killing a zombie. He's not really alive. No matter what he may seem like, Hiro is long dead."

Tears rolled down my cheeks. "I just...I can't..."

"Kotone, honey, you're the only one who can. Only your power can free these people from their bonds. The three are eternally bound to Ho-oh. Only you can change that. Don't think of it as killing them, think of it as saving them from a fate worse then death."

Suicune was right. Two were spirits, and one was either a spirit as well, or a body wandering mindlessly around Mt. Silver. What if it had been me? What if I had been chosen first? Would I want to be trapped in this world forever as a spirit? If someone had the ability to release me into the Afterlife, would I take it? I nodded. I knew I would want someone to save me. "All right," I spoke up. "I'll save them. I'll save them all!"

Suicune smiled. "There you go." She kissed me on the cheek and my face burned red. "Good luck, Kotone."

"Fare well, Kotone," Entei spoke before giving me a bow.

"See ya!" Raikou smiled and waved.

"Remember, Ho-oh is watching you, but so is Lugia," Suicune spoke as she wrapped her arms around me. "He will put perils in your way. You must push passed them and complete your destiny." She let go and began to step backwards, towards the water. She stepped onto the water and slowly faded from view in the mists. Raikou lept into the air, becoming a bolt of lightning that shot into the cloud above and the cloud rolled away. Lastly, Entei gave one final bow before stepping into the wall of flame behind me. When the three had gone, I re-awoke in the hospital bed.

I spent the next few days there in the hospital and was finally released with a cast on my arm and a brace on one leg. That, though, wasn't from the fall, that was from being so excited that I was leaving the hospital that I jumped out of bed, tripped, and fell flat on the ground. The trip twisted my ankle, but not badly. I only had to wear the brace a couple of days, as opposed to the cast which I'd have on for at least two more weeks. I didn't let that stop me, though. I had to continue my journey, I had to save the other three Chosen Ones, but more then that, I had to stop Silver. My next stop would be the Ecruteak City Gym, where I'd be facing Morty.

* * *

><p>Would you like to cameo in a future chapter of Poke Saga? Well now you can! Here's how to do it! Simply comment on this chapter and fill out the following form:<p>

**Name:**  
><strong>Age:<strong>  
><strong>Personality:<strong>  
><strong>A reference: (can be a description or a picture)<strong>  
><strong>Pokemon on your team:<strong>  
><strong>Which region you'd like to appear in:<strong>

And that's it! Just fill that out and send it in and you might (note: MIGHT) get a cameo. I'll be needing cameos for a future chapter of Johto, and for future chapters of all of the other regions, too.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

It was still hot. It had been hot four months ago, and still it was hot. I passed a thermometer on one of the houses in Ecruteak that said it was 30 degrees out. Well, I mean, I guess it was getting cooler, but it was still hot, hotter then it usually was at this time in the year. It was mid-August, and the temperatures would have usually dropped to about 25 degrees by now on average, but it was still 30. "Why is it still so hot?" I groaned.

"It does seem oddly warm, considering the time of year," Jake spoke as he glanced around. "Maybe..." he paused for a moment as he stared into the sky. "No...I doubt it would be that..."

"Doubt it would be what?"

"Nothing, it's not important."

I was about to retort when I heard a sound. It was music, but not just any music, harp music. I turned, glancing over to a nearby building. There, sitting upon a stool, was a young woman, no older then me. She was wearing a teal, short-sleeved shirt that had no shoulders to it. Instead, you could see a set of blue straps that came up from under her shirt and went over her shoulders. I assumed it was a secondary shirt underneath as that kind of fashion was becoming popular. There were a couple of ribbons on her shirt and her arm that looked like it was made out of a gold-colored fabric, and her shorts were a lighter color then her shirt and had small frills that came off of some parts of the shorts. Her hair was also a teal color that had light, nearly white, highlights. She wore a gold-colored hair band in her hair, and held a gold-colored harp in her hands. She also had an amazing pair of sapphire eyes.

As her fingers slowly strummed the harp, I noticed her slowly stand to her feet. Her eyes closed and she began to sing a beautiful song. I noticed just how skilled she was with the harp at this point because not only was she playing it while singing, but she was dancing in rhythm with her music as well. All of this was done with her eyes closed and a wide smile upon her face. I felt enraptured by the music she was playing, and I froze in place, just staring and listening. "Kotone," Jake spoke up, trying to get my attention, and I just barely remember even hearing that. I was so enraptured in the music that that had become my only focus.

The harp stopped.

"It seems we've found you at last, Kotone," the girl spoke as she turned to me, then opened her eyes. Her eyes had changed and were now a deep purple. I tried to move, but it was like my body had become frozen in place.

"So, this is the trainer you've chosen, Ranser?" Jake barked.

The girl chuckled. "Yes. This one's music is very...hypnotizing." The girl tied her harp to the ribbons on her shirt, then grabbed a pokeball from her belt. When the pokeball opened, what greeted us with a Slowking. Slowking looked much like any other Slowpoke, but it stood on its hindlegs. As well, it had a red and white striped collar around its neck and the shell on its head looked much like a crown. In actuality, though, it was a Shellder.

"Slowking!" I shouted. "You're one of the Elders!"

"That I am," Ranser spoke and gave a bow. "I am Ranser, one of nine Slowking in this world." He smirked. "And with that knowledge, I must now dispose of you." His eyes began to glow and I felt myself slowly lifting into the air. "It's sad, really. You could have lived your life fine if you hadn't helped out the sinner at the well."

"Leave Kotone alone!" Jake shouted and stepped forward. "I'm the one you want. Leave her alone."

"She knows too much, Jake. She must perish."

"You don't know who she is! She's more important to this world then you could even imagine!"

Ranser chuckled. "Oh please, like I haven't heard that one many times before."

"He's telling the truth!" I shouted. "I'm the Chosen One of Ho-oh! I have to stop Lugia!"

"A likely story." Ranser looked down from me to the rest of my group. "And all of you, you're a part of this as well. All of you will be exterminated."

"Over my dead body!" Blaze shouted and charged forward. She found herself frozen in place before being lifted into the air just like me.

"None of you will escape."

"Judgment!" I heard Tepi shout and light shot down from the sky, striking Ranser. The blast knocked him to the ground, releasing both me and Blaze from his psychic grip.

"Wh-what was that?" Ranser asked as he quickly jumped back to his feet.

"No one hurts Mama!" Tepi shouted as she stepped forward. Her arms were glowing.

"A Togepi?!" Ranser shouted and stepped back. "But you're all extinct!"

"Leave Mama alone!" Tepi threw her arm forward and Ranser was struck hard by a powerful psychic blast.

"You fool, you can't harm me. I am Ranser, one of The Nine! I am more powerful then you could possibly imagine!"

"Shadow Ball!" Tepi shouted and an orb of ghostly energy appeared between her hands.

"Oh shit..." The ball launched forward, striking Ranser in the chest. He roared in pain before dropping to one knee. "How is this possible? You can't possibly have control over the abilities you get from Metronome! It's impossible!"

Tepi began to glow with a dark aura at this point. "Leave Mama alone."

Ranser roared. "You will regret your actions this day! When next we meet, you won't be so lucky! Next time, you'll face the might of all nine of us! You won't stand a chance!" Ranser returned to his pokeball, and the girl he had hypnotized quickly turned and rushed away. "Next time! I swear it!" Ranser shouted through the girl.

"I knew it..." Jake growled. "I knew the Elders would come after me! It's because I used my powers in the Well, and because I told you who they were. If I hadn't...you wouldn't be in this position."

"If you hadn't, I'd have been raped, enslaved, and would currently be stuck in eternal torture at the hands of Proton," I responded. "Jake, I owe you my life. That's why I took you in when you told me the Elders would be angry at you. I'm not worried. There's nothing they can do to me that would be worse then what Proton would have done. I'd rather die trying to protect you then be a slave to Proton."

"Still, I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess."

"It's no trouble at all, Jake. Honest." I smiled, then turned to the Ecruteak Gym. "Come on, we have a Gym to win, and I think I know just how I want to do this."

"No!" the old woman before me shouted as her Haunter went flying across the room, a sad victim of Tepi's Extrasensory.

"You're doing wonderful, Tepi! Keep going!" I cheered. So far we had cleared a majority of the Gym just because of her alone. It's true that Psychic types were weak to Ghosts, but Poison types are weak to Psychic. Not only that, but Tepi was a Normal type, while all of the Ghost Pokemon I had fought so far were Ghost/Poison mixtures. As well, Normal types are immune to Ghosts, which meant Tepi had all of the advantages and no disadvantages. For all intents and purposes, as long as they used Ghost typed moves, Tepi was invulnerable here.

"Tepi is happy to help Mama!" Tepi smiled and tattled over to me and hugged my leg.

"I'm glad." I bent down and hugged her. "Onto the next!" There was only one other trainer between me and Morty, and like all of the others, Tepi wiped her Pokemon out with Extrasensory.

"So, you've arrived," Morty spoke as he stared at me.

"Your little maze had me a little confused at first, but once I realized where the path was and where it was not, it was easy." The entire Gym was shrouded in darkness. Next to each trainer was a large candle. Upon defeat, the trainers would blow the candle out. The floor of the Gym was nothing but a set of bridges spanning over the top of a floor made entirely of Ghost Pokemon. Stepping off the bridge meant you were grabbed by a Ghost and sent back to the start of the Gym.

"And did my trainers put the fear of Ghosts into your heart?"

"More like I put the fear of Normal types into their hearts." I waved to Tepi, who waved to Morty.

Morty chuckled. "I see. A Normal type with abilities that allows it to attack Ghosts. Very clever, very clever indeed." Morty turned away and grabbed a Pokeball off the altar behind him. "You know, legend says that Ho-oh is seeking a strong trainer."

"Really now?"

Morty nodded. "It's said he wishes to make peace with humans after what happened at the Burned Tower. However, he's waiting for just the right person." Morty made a fist. "I want to be that person."

"Why?"

Morty turned back to me. "Don't you get it? If I could bring back Ho-oh, and we made peace with him... It would be the start of a new age. Not to mention any trainer who succeeds in the task would become instantly popular around the world."

"So you want fame?"

Morty nodded. "Essentially? Yes, and you'll help me reach that point." He held up a pokeball. "I'll defeat you, and when I do, I'll be one step closer to becoming the trainer that Ho-oh is looking for."

Conceited! That's what Morty was, conceited! He didn't realize what it was that Ho-oh was after. He didn't want someone who just wanted fame, and he wasn't looking to create peace with humans. He wanted to stop his brother from destroying the peace that already existed! Not only that, but he already had a Chosen One...me! I sighed and shook my head. "With a heart like that, you'll never call Ho-oh."

"We'll see about that." Morty tossed a pokeball forward, releasing a small ball of purple gas into the air. This was the Ghost Pokemon, Ghastly.

"Honestly, Morty, I thought you'd do better then that..." I groaned. "Tepi, Extrasensory."

"What?!" Morty shouted before his Ghastly was blasted by powerful psychic waves. Ghastly roared and evaporated into thin air. Of course, it wasn't dead, Ghost Pokemon love dramatic effect. After all, you can't really kill Ghost Pokemon because they're ghosts. "Well, this is starting out to be rather interesting." Morty smirked. "How about we make it even more interesting?" Morty grabbed another pokeball off the altar. "Go, Haunter!" From the pokeball came another ghost, this time nothing more then a face and pair of hands.

"Really, Morty? I anticipated much more from you. Tepi, Extrasensory!" Haunter roared and grabbed its face as it was struck hard by psychic waves. Its form slowly faded into nothing just like Ghastly. "Please tell me you have something that isn't a Ghost/Poison type."

Morty chuckled. "I don't, but I don't need one." He grabbed a third pokeball from his altar and tossed it forward. Strangely enough, the beam that released it wasn't red, but instead a deep purple. The beam soon materialized into the shape of a rather large creature with two stubby arms and two stubby legs. Deep, blood red eyes opened on the creatures face followed by a smirk displaying a set of sharp teeth. "Gengar, Curse." The ghost slowly reached into the air and pulled out a long nail from seemingly nowhere. It's eyes went wide as it let out a deep chuckle, then stabbed itself in the chest.

"Tepi!" I shouted as a dark aura began to swirl around Tepi. She dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.

-Tepi's POV-

"Hello, there," Gengar spoke as it swirled around me. No, it wasn't swirling around me, it was standing in place. It was just a fake Gengar swirling around me. "What's wrong? Feeling hurt?" Pain surged through my entire body. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, but Gengar was there. Fear was flowing through me, and I couldn't move.

"Gengar, Sucker Punch!" Morty called. Gengar was on top of me in an instant, and he punched me hard in the face with a fist full of darkness. I tumbled, rolling a little bit before coming to a stop a few feet away.

"Tepi! Get up!" Kotone called to me, but I barely heard it. Darkness swirled around me, still taking the form of Gengar. It was laughing at me.

"You can't win!" it spoke to me. "Give it up, you've lost. You're just a Normal-type. You're worthless."

"No, I want to help Mama!" I shouted. "Tepi is strong! Tepi can win!" I stood up, but the vision of Gengar dispersed, forming darkness all around me. I couldn't see.

"Worthless," I heard a voice whisper.

"Normal-type," another voice whispered.

"Pathetic," a third whispered. It was the voices of the ghosts around me.

"No! Tepi is not worthless!" I shouted. Power suddenly coursed through my body and I felt myself begin to change. My neck became longer, and the shell around my body merged into my body. Wings sprouted from my back, and I realized at that moment, I had evolved. "Tepi is not worthless!" I shouted and unleashed a wave of psychic energy straight ahead. I heard the Gengar roar and the darkness faded from my vision. The pain in my body began to disappear, and I now saw the Gengar roaring in pain. "You will not hurt my Mama, and you will not defeat me!" I unleashed another psychic wave that made the Gengar roar even more. Its body began to shrivel up and I poured even more power into my attack. "You, ghost, who has witnessed Hell itself. Witness now a fury even greater then that of the Afterlife!"

Gengar dissipated into nothing.

-Kotone's POV-

"Tepi...you..." I stared at Tepi as I witnessed the awesome power she had just displayed. I had never seen anything like it. It wasn't even just the fact that Gengar was part Poison-type. She had literally just destroyed the Gengar and its Curse.

Morty closed his eyes. "I see...I am not the one to meet with Ho-oh." He pulled a badge out from his pocket. "The Fog Badge. You've earned it, Kotone." Morty tossed it to me and I grabbed it.

"Thank you, Morty," I smiled.

"Keep training your Pokemon like that, and you just might be the one to meet Ho-oh and restore peace." Morty smiled. "Now, go. Your next stop should be Olivine City. Jasmine's Gym is a Challenge Level-5 Gym."

I nodded. "Thanks again, Morty." I turned and headed out. And that was it for my adventures in Ecruteak City, or for that time anyway. I'd be coming back later for something very important, but I didn't know that back then. What I did know, though, was that I was on my way now to Olivine City. I wondered just what else would await me on my journey there, and what awaited me when I arrived.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Good battle," the girl in front of me spoke with a wink. "Your Quilava is pretty strong, though I noticed you didn't use any fire moves." She turned and returned the Skiploom she had used at the end of the battle. "That surprised me, since both my Pokemon were grass types."

I looked away, remembering Whitney and her Miltank. "Blaze got injured a while back fighting Whitney. She can't produce fire anymore because of that."

The girl gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

I turned back to her and smiled. "Nah, it's fine." I knelt down and began to pet Blaze, who smiled. "That was a great battle, by the way."

"Thanks, I was actually on my way to Ecruteak to get my next badge."

"Oh, did you come from Olivine?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah, but the gym's closed, and even if it wasn't...it's a Challenge Level 5 gym. I only have 2 badges."

I stared at her in surprise. "Then why were you at Olivine trying to face the Gym?"

She looked away. "I thought...maybe...I could handle it. But I fought a really strong trainer with red hair who wiped me out. He had Ecruteak's Gym Badge. If I couldn't defeat him, there's no way I'd be able to beat Jasmine, even if the Gym was open."

I nodded. "Well, I guess that makes two trainers you've fought with Ecruteak's badge." I showed her the badge on my purse. "I might recommend facing Whitney first. Ecruteak is a Challenge Level 4 Gym, after all. Goldenrod's Gym is only a Level 3 Gym."

The girl nodded. "That might be a better idea."

"And be careful of her Miltank. They recently exorcised a Gengar from it. It's also extremely tough either way, so it will be the hardest thing you fight on her team."

The girl nodded slowly, giving me a grimace when I mentioned the exorcism of the Gengar. "I don't mean to pry...but is that how you broke your arm, then?"

I looked over at my arm and shook my head. "Nah, I got that from when I fell in the Burned Tower." I then came to a realization. "Oh, if you're on your way to Ecruteak City, be careful if you visit the Burned Tower. The floor's really weak there. Don't want anyone else falling and injuring themselves like I did."

The girl nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." There was an awkward silence for a moment before she spoke up again. "Well, time for me to go, maybe we'll see each other again in the Pokemon League Tournament."

"I'd love to fight you again in the tournament."

"Bye!" She waved and rushed off.

"Bye!" I called out to her before we turned to continue. We barely walked long before I got stopped by another trainer.

"Hey!" the trainer shouted as she ran up to me. She was fast, and had even jumped a fence with out even the slightest pause.

"Looking for a battle?" I asked as I reached down to my pokeballs.

"No, actually, I need help."

I blinked and stared at her. I actually took in her appearance at this point. She had rainbow colored hair, and no, I'm not kidding about that. Her hair went from red on the right side to blue on the left side, and the back of her hair was violet in color, making up all six colors of the rainbow...or is it seven? I don't know! In either case, she had a pair of goggles on her head, and her hair was a bit spiky as well. She wore a dark blue vest that had a rainbow that came from a cloud down both sleeves. Under the jacket was a light-blue shirt, I guessed it was short-sleeved, though her jacket was long-sleeved. She also had a pair of blue shorts with a rainbow belt and blue boots. I wondered how she could wear such an outfit in this heat.

"How can I help?"

The girl looked up at me. "My name's Rainbow, or rather, that's what my friends call me." She held out her hand and I shook it. That still didn't answer my question, though. "My gi...I mean...friend works at the nearby farm. Problem is, their Miltank won't produce milk anymore. I was hoping to find a doctor...she thinks the Miltank is sick."

I blinked. That still didn't really answer my question. "And...how can I help?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Well...are you a doctor?"

"Do I look like one?"

"Well, I didn't figure you'd be wearing your uniform if you were, not if you're walking between cities." Rainbow had a point.

"Well, I'm not a doctor, so I don't think I can really help you."

Rainbow bit her lip. "Damn..." She sighed. "Oh! Could you help me in something else then? Stay with her until I find a doctor?"

"You...want a complete stranger to stay with your friend..."

Rainbow smiled. "You look like someone I can trust."

I shrugged. Well, I mean, I certainly wasn't going to try to hurt them or anything, so I guess she was right on that part. Besides, what could I do with a broken arm, you know? "Why not? Take me to the farm."

Rainbow and I rushed from Route 38 over towards Route 39, where we came upon a place called "Sweet Apple Acres". The place was absolutely huge and filled with apple trees all over the place. One one side was a bright red barn where the animals were kept, on the other was their house. "Applejack!" Rainbow shouted.

"Rainbow?" A moment later, another girl came rushing towards us. She had long blonde hair that went down to her butt that she had tied at the very bottom. She wore a green button up shirt, but she had two of the top buttons undone, two buttons done up below that, and then the rest was tied up from there so her stomach was showing. She also had a brown vest on along with a brown cowboy hat on her head. She wore a pair of really short brown shorts with a leather belt around her waist. The belt buckle was a circle with a gold colored apple in the center. She also wore a pair of cowboy boots.

"Applejack, I'm sorry I haven't found a doctor yet, but I ran into this girl." Rainbow waved to me. "I thought she'd keep you company while I was searching for a doctor."

Applejack stared at me, then at Rainbow. "Ya just met her and ya trust her that much already?"

"She looks like someone I can trust."

"Yea, and so did yer other friend, Gilda, was it?"

"She turned evil since the last time we met!"

"Gilda was always a rotten so-and-so, Rainbow! Ya just didn't notice it till she hurt yer other friends."

"Look, I trust her, okay?"

"And what's her name?"

Rainbow blinked, then turned to me. I rubbed the back of my neck. "My name's Kotone, Kotone Kamiya."

"Ya didn't even know her name before ya invited her here?!" Applejack stomped her foot. "Rainbow Dash! How could ya invite a complete stranger over like that?"

"Umm...if I may?" I interjected and they looked at me. "I know it doesn't mean much coming from my own mouth, but I'm not a bad person. I care a lot for my Pokemon and any of my friends and I'd never hurt anyone." I waved to Blaze and the others. "You can look at my Pokemon and see how they feel about me."

Applejack turned to my Pokemon, and they smiled back. She sighed. "Fine, ah'll let ya stay for now. Just...don't get in mah way, okay? Ah got a lot of apple pickin' ta do and not a lot a time ta do it in."

"I-I could help! Then you could keep an eye on me. Ne and my Pokemon could help to if you think it would help."

Applejack scrutinized me and my Pokemon for a moment. "And how exactly are ya gonna help with a broken arm?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, I mean, my Pokemon could help. Maybe I could...hold a ladder or something?"

Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine! As long as that one don't burn down ma farm, ah guess they can help." She pointed at Blaze.

"Blaze can't even breathe fire. Her fire lung was damaged by Whitney's Miltank."

Applejack cringed. "Ah've heard of that thing. Some say its possessed."

"It was."

Applejack shuttered. "Well, all right, then. Let's get ya Pokemon ta work."

"I promise I'll be back soon," Rainbow said and gently kissed Applejack on the cheek. Before she could respond, she rushed off as quick as lightning, leaving a rainbow streak behind her. Okay, maybe not as fast as lightning, but it was still fast enough to leave a rainbow streak behind her. Applejack and I spent the next while picking apples from the tree. Lily used her Thundershock to cut some of the apples down, while Blaze would Tackle the trees, knocking several apples off the trees into buckets below. Avenger would fly around, chopping apples down with his scythes, and Jake would use his psychic powers, very discreetly, of course, to help pull some apples down when no one was looking. Meanwhile, Applejack would climb a ladder and pick apples while I...held onto the ladder.

We spent the entire day doing that, and soon night approached. The sky was a beautiful orange as the sun slowly set in the distance and Applejack wiped the sweat from her brow. "Well, that's about all we're gettin' today." She smiled. "Thanks fer yer help. Ah wouldn't be half as far as ah am without yer help."

"Like I said, I'm not a bad girl," I giggled and Applejack giggled back. "Besides, it was mostly just my Pokemon that helped. All I really did was hold the ladder for you."

"Well, if ya hadn't been holdin' the ladder ah might have fallen. Then ah woulda been hurt bad and wouldn't of been able to continue workin', just like the last time ma brother fell."

"Well, I guess you do have a point there." I rubbed the back of my neck and smiled.

"Let's go inside and ah'll make us some supper."

I nodded and we walked into the house. I sat down at the table and stared at Applejack. This was kind of a big house, and I hadn't seen anyone else all day. Sure, she had mentioned a brother, but I hadn't seen him anywhere. I wondered if she lived all alone, or if maybe Rainbow was the only other person who lived here. Then, considering the two of them were the ones doing all the work, it made me admire how hard she worked. "Any idea where Rainbow is?"

Applejack shook her head as she stood by the stove. "No idea. Ah hope she's on her way back with a doctor. Ah don't know how much longer Mooriella will last..."

Mooriella? Really? I wanted to groan at that name, but I didn't want to offend her. "Is she that sick?"

Applejack nodded as she pulled the hotcakes she was cooking off the stove and tossed them onto a plate. She set the plate in front of me. She pulled her vest off and tossed it onto the chair behind her. "She got sick a few days ago. Ah thought it was just a cold...but she's gettin' sicker every day. Today, she wouldn't even move ta eat." She sighed. "Ah need a doctor to see her..."

I rubbed my chin for a moment, then reached into my purse. "Have you tried Oran Berries?" I pulled a few out and set them on the table.

"What're those?"

"You don't know what Oran Berries are? They're a special berry with mild healing properties. I mean, they're not a cure-all or anything, but they help Pokemon keep fighting in battle like a potion does."

"Ya think that might help her?"

I shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Applejack jumped to her feet. "Let's try it."

Applejack and I made our way out of the house and over to the barn. Applejack took me to Mooriella and I knelt down next to her. Mooriella was holding her stomach, looking like she was in terrible pain. I pulled out an Oran Berry and held it out. "Here you go, try this. It's good." Mooriella refused at first, but when I held it up to her nose, she sniffed it and her eyes went wide. She devoured the berry in an instant, almost taking my hand with it. "There you go, that's a good Miltank." I gently pet Mooriella as she chewed the berry. Color was already beginning to return to her face and I gave Applejack a thumbs up.

Applejack gave a sigh of relief. "That's wonderful."

I managed to get Mooriella to eat a few more, and with each one she ate, the better she began to look...until...

"Miltank!" Mooriella shouted and grabbed her stomach again. She was in severe pain all of a sudden.

"Ah no!" Applejack shouted. "Mooriella, hold on!" She rushed over and hugged Mooriella. And that's when it happened, a small egg popped right out of her. We both looked down and stared at the egg. "Wait..."

"She was..." I continued.

"PREGNANT?!" Applejack shouted and turned around. There was a small stable of Tauros behind us. "Which one of ya little miscreants did this?!" she shouted. None of the Tauros responded, of course. After a moment, though, Applejack went from being angry to neutral, then from neutral to a frown. From there, she began to cry, but these were not tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. A joy of not only seeing Mooriella feeling better now, but also of the joy of seeing a new life enter the world. I stepped over and hugged her. "Ah didn't even know..." Applejack turned to me with a smile on her face. "Ah'm so glad she's not sick."

"So am I." The two of us stayed that way for a few moments before I had finally felt too awkward like this. I felt awkward because I had a girl I barely knew hugging me, and I was fairly certain she was in a relationship with Rainbow. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, it just made me a little uncomfortable because I didn't want Rainbow barging in and thinking I was trying to steal her girl or something.

We spent a moment making sure that Mooriella was okay now that she had had her egg, and we spent a moment checking on the egg to be sure it was okay. We then returned to the house were we actually ate our supper now. Once we were done, Applejack stretched and stood to her feet. "Ah guess it's time we headed ta bed."

I nodded, giving a small yawn. "I guess I'll just take the couch?"

Applejack shook her head. "Ya can have my sister's room if ya like. She won't be home till tomorrow afternoon. In fact, the whole family should be back by then."

"Oh? Is that why you're all alone right now?"

Applejack nodded as she grabbed her shirt and began to untie the front tie. "They went down to Olivine for a couple days to sell some of our milk and apples. They should be on their way home tomorrow."

I nodded. "All right, I'll take her room, then."

Applejack nodded with a smile before unbuttoning her shirt. She pulled her shirt off, revealing she had nothing at all on under it. I couldn't help but blush. "U-umm..." I spoke as I looked away.

"What?"

"Y-you just took off your shirt..."

"So? Ah take off my clothes all the time. Sometimes ah even take 'em off while working." She said that as she unfastened her belt and dropped her shorts, revealing her panties.

"R-really?" I turned back to look at her.

Applejack nodded. "Ya can take yers off to if ya want. After all, we're both girls anyway." Something about those words...it triggered my overactive hormones. My top came off faster then you can say "Jalapeno pepper". Applejack smiled. "Ya've got a nice chest."

I blushed even more. "Th-thank you?"

Applejack giggled. "Ah really shouldn't be lookin' at ya, though, I suppose. Rainbow might get mad that ah'm looking at another girl."

"Y-you and Rainbow..." I started, then made some hand gestured to try and symbolize two girls having sex.

Applejack giggled again. "Yea, she's ma girlfriend. We met a long time ago, fell in love, and after a while, she moved in here with me. We share the same room so...we do it a lot." She blushed when she admitted that.

I blushed and looked down. I felt really uncomfortable now. My hormones were trying to push me to pry further, perhaps even to ask her if we could have sex. On the other hand, I was also busy telling myself "I'm not gay!" over and over again in my head. I had no problems with gay people, of course, but I wasn't gay myself...at least...I didn't think so anyway. This was an entirely new thought process for me.

I was on the verge of losing control and saying something before she kissed me on the cheek. "Good night, Kotone."

"G-good night, Applejack." I watched as she walked off, then looked back at the table, then down at myself. I groaned. "I'm going to have to take care of this, aren't I?" I cried.

The next day, Applejack, Rainbow, and me were all outside. Rainbow has gotten a doctor to come over first thing in the morning and look at Mooriella. He said she was perfectly fine, and she had just been struggling with pregnancy pains. He said that she had actually been overdue, and that was why she was in so much pain. The Oran Berries had actually helped her out and helped her have the egg. Applejack gave me another hug when she found that out, proclaiming me the "Healer of Mooriella". She even offered me a permanent spot on the farm, but I declined. I had bigger things I had to deal with. I didn't say what, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

And then...Rainbow whispered something to Applejack that made her blush very heavily and smack Rainbow before marching off to continue picking apples. I will say this much, I stayed there and helped them out until the rest of their family showed up. Once they arrived, I said my good-byes and turned and made my way out of the farm. Just before I got away, though, Applejack rushed over to me and gave me one last quick kiss on the cheek. She then rushed back to work.

From there, I made my way straight down Route 39 and into Olivine City. I had no idea what awaited me there, or what kind of quest I'd end up on from here.

* * *

><p>Still accepting cameos if anyone wants to be in the stories. Just review with this form (also, please review in general ^^):<p>

Name:  
>Age:<br>Personality:  
>A reference: (can be a description or a picture)<br>Pokemon on your team:  
>Which region you'd like to appear in:<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Olivine City, we made it." I smiled as we looked out to the seaport that was Olivine City. The City, much like any other, wasn't that big. It had a few houses, a shopping center, and so on, but what made the city were three things: The beach, the port, and the lighthouse. Not only did Olvine City have a port for big ships like the S.S. Aqua, but it also had a small beach that faced towards a small set of islands. The islands were called the Whirl Islands because they were always surrounded by whirlpools, but they were never so big to be dangerous. In fact, it'd be impossible for whirlpools to naturally form to be big enough to be dangerous anyway, at least to a ship, anyway.

Anyway, the Whirl Islands were commonly a place for trainers to visit and adventure. You could catch all kinds of rare Pokemon there. Not only that, but you had to pass them on your way towards Cianwood City if you planned to face all eight Gyms in Johto. That wasn't all that made the beach area interesting, though. In Kanto, in the city of Cerulean, there is a beach that is split down the center. One side is the normal beach, but passed a few hundred feet of grass, and you got into a clothing-optional beach, though many just called it a nude beach. The same was true here as well. On one side was a normal beach, for those who didn't want to show off their bodies, but on the other side, you had a place where nudity was accepted.

I'll be honest and say, I kind of wanted to visit the nude beach, if for no other reason then to say I had been to one. On the other hand, while I seemed to be okay with suddenly stripping when my hormones went crazy, the thought of simply just getting naked for no reason seemed...awkward. So, what did I do? I went for the nude beach. It felt a little weird, actually, walking onto a beach and seeing everyone either wearing close to nothing or wearing nothing at all. It kind of got me a little excited, but then it just seemed...natural, I guess.

I pulled a towel out of my purse, lied it on the sand, then sat down. I reached behind my back and untied my bikini top, letting my breasts out. I blushed as I felt awkward now, being completely topless in a place full of strangers. Yet, no one even passed a glance at me, and that made me feel...happy, I guess. I slipped off my shorts, leaving myself in a pair of panties, then dug into my purse and pulled out the bottom of my bikini. I began to debate the idea of putting it on, but that made me realize I'd first have to actually take off my panties. I'll be honest and say I felt a little awkward pulling my panties off at that moment.

Now naked, I stared at my bikini bottom, trying to decide if I was brave enough to stay like this, or if I should put it on. Had I not already been naked in the middle of the beach, I may have considered putting it on more strongly, but as I was already in a position where people could see me, I decided to let it go. That and the fact that my hormones really didn't want me to get dressed now. I pulled my sunglasses out, then lied back, only to see Silver standing over me. I jumped and quickly covered myself with my towel. "Wh-what do you want?"

"Interesting," Silver spoke as he looked me over. "You're fine with letting everyone else see your body, but the moment you know I'm looking, you hide it away."

"Because you don't deserve the right to see my body."

"Don't deserve?" Silver ripped the towel right out of my hands. "I'll tell you what I deserve. I deserve to be treated like the strong trainer I am!"

With my only real cover taken from me, I stood to my feet. I wasn't happy he could see my body, but I also just wanted him gone. "You? Strong? Yeah, right."

"I am strong!" Silver reached forward as if to grab me by the collar before realizing that I didn't have one to grab. He stared at his hand for a moment, then back up at me. "Just because I lost to you doesn't mean I'm weak."

I reached out and grabbed my towel. "Well, you're far from strong. You treat your Pokemon like shit and I bet they hate you for it." I pulled on the towel, but his grip was secure.

"What do I care? Pokemon are tools of battle, not to make friends with."

"Yet I defeat you at every turn because of the friendship between me and my Pokemon."

Silver growled and let go of the towel before turning around. "Whatever. I'd fight you to prove myself, but I'm not in the mood."

I pulled the towel back up to cover myself again. "And why is that?"

"The Gym Leader here has decided that she'd rather take care of a weak, sick Pokemon then do her job. She's at the lighthouse right now. I say, let weak Pokemon die."

"A sick Pokemon?" I turned towards the lighthouse. "What's wrong with it?"

Silver shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. If it's weak enough to get sick, then I don't care."

"And what about if you get sick? Does that make you weak?"

Silver growled and turned back to me, ripping my towel from my hands again. This time, he tossed it aside. "I don't get sick because I'm too strong for that!"

I shook my head. "Whatever you say." I walked over to the towel to pick it up and Silver kicked me down. He grabbed my arms and pinned me to the ground.

"One of these days, I'll show you just how strong I really am." Silver stood up and I saw him walk away. I sighed and dusted myself off before looking back to the lighthouse.

I'll be honest here, I had no idea why I thought that wrapping the towel around me and calling that enough was a good idea. However, that's what I did, which meant I was now standing in front of the door to the lighthouse wearing nothing but the towel from the beach. Sure, I had put my clothes in my purse, so I did have them, but for some reason, I didn't put them on before I left the beach. Well, what can you do? I pushed the door to the lighthouse open.

"Everyone remain calm!" I heard a police officer shout over a megaphone. There was police tape wrapped around the elevator in the center, as well as on the staircase that led up the lighthouse. The staircase was a circular set, wrapping around the inside of the walls of the lighthouse, leading all the way to the top. Sure, they stopped and opened up to a floor a couple times, but they still led all the way up if you didn't stop along the way. There was a group of about six police officers standing on the stairway, behind the tape, with a group of people all gathered in front of it. "No one will be allowed passed this point until the time when Jasmine says so."

"But we want to battle her! The Tournament's this winter, and she's the fifth Gym!" one trainer shouted.

"Yeah! How are we supposed to get our badges if she refuses to battle?" another trainer shouted.

"There is a Gym to the south of here in Cianwood City!" the officer shouted into his megaphone. "By the time you travel there and back, she should be available again."

"That's a Challenge Level 6 Gym! I'm not challenging that till I fight Jasmine!" a third trainer shouted, which caused the entire crowd to shout in agreement.

I winced. I needed to get up there, but I had no idea what to do. "Want me to distract them?" Lily asked as if reading my mind. "I could do it."

"No, it's fine," I responded as I watched the scene before me. I was thinking, trying to come up with a way to get passed the cops to get to Jasmine. After all, I was just wanting to help, not to fight her.

"You need to get to Jasmine, Kotone," Blaze spoke up as she stepped ahead. "Idea: Release Alal and use him to get up to the next floor."

"But what if there are cops up there, too?"

Blaze gave a shrug. "Then we try something else. We won't know until we try, though. Alal's twenty-eight feet long. Maybe he could even get you to the top if need be."

I nodded. That idea did make sense, and I could always explain that I was just trying to help and not to fight. I stepped out of the lighthouse and released Alal. "Get me up there." I pointed up at the top of the lighthouse and Alal nodded. He lowered his head so I could get on, then rose me up. First to the second floor, which I noticed had a couple cops in it. Then to the third floor, where I only saw one cop leaning against a wall fast asleep. Finally, I reached the top floor, where I saw Jasmine sitting in the center.

Jasmine was a pretty girl. She looked not much older then me, maybe twenty-five or so at the oldest. She had long, light brown hair that she had put two hairpins in at the top, letting little bits stick up in the front. She wore a simple cyan colored, spaghetti-strap dress that came down almost to her knees. I also saw a white jacket that she had covering the Ampharos on her lap. The Ampharos was a long yellow Pokemon with a white underbelly. It had long pointy ears that had black stripes on them and a long black tail with the same stripes on them. A small red orb could be seen on the end of its tail, along with another in the center of its forehead. Its face was red, and it looked like it was burning up.

I knocked on the window, which startled Jasmine. She glared at me and waved as if to tell me to go away. I waved back, trying to tell her I was here to help. After a moment, she lied the Ampharos down and stood up. She stepped over to the window and pushed open a small glass door that led to a balcony that surrounded the top floor. "I'm not accepting any battles!"

"I'm not here for that."

Jasmine blinked, her brown eyes showing shock at that statement. "You're not?"

"I heard about your sick Pokemon and came to help." I looked over at Ampharos, then back at Jasmine. "What's wrong with it?"

Jasmine turned around and huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Like you care, you just want to me to battle you."

"No, I don't. Well...okay, yes, I do want to battle you for a Gym Badge, but I'm not doing this just so you'll battle me. I'm doing this to help you."

Jasmine turned her head a little to look towards me. "So, if I refused to fight you even afterwards, you wouldn't care?"

"Well...I mean, you're a Gym Leader, so you're not allowed to refuse a challenge...but yes. If you refused to fight me even afterwards, I'd be fine with that."

Jasmine turned away, then sighed. "Fine, but you better be telling the truth." She turned to the door. "Come in and I'll explain what's going on." She stepped through the door and I hopped down onto the balcony, then walked inside with her. She walked over to Ampharos and sat down, petting its head. She then looked up at me. "First off, that's an interesting outfit you've got on there."

I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck. "I was at the beach, then heard about you...so I kind of rushed over here..." While it was sort of the truth, it was also sort of a lie.

Jasmine smiled and giggled. "Well, it's just the two of us here if...you know...you don't want to wear it anymore."

I went to say something, but my hormones got the better of me. I grabbed my towel and dropped it before sitting down next to her. Jasmine giggled. "S-so...umm...wh-what's wrong with this Ampharos?"

Jasmine looked down at Ampharos and sighed. Her face changed from a smile to a look of dread. "Amphy here...he has the Pokerus..."

Pokerus, I knew that name. It was the name of a terrible disease that Team Rocket had invented three years ago. They had used it in their attacks on both Lavender Tower and Silph Co. It weakened Pokemon, draining them of their power, even to the extent of killing them if not treated properly. The disease was throught to have been wiped out when Team Rocket disbanded three years ago, but now this Ampharos had it. "Is this Team Rocket's doing?" I asked.

Jasmine shrugged. "I don't know..." She sighed and leaned up against me. I blushed a little. "Amphy was fine up until about a week ago, then he started coughing. First it was just a cough here and there, then it became worse with constant coughing. Within two days, Amphy had become very sick, and now he can't do his job of powering the lighthouse. The city doesn't have the funds to be able to get another Ampharos to light the lighthouse, and without one, the ships can't sail into port because of the storm near the Whirl Islands."

"Storm near the Whirl Islands?"

"You don't know?" Jasmine sat up in shock. "Terrible whirlpools of ridiculous size have appeared around the islands. It's definitely being caused by something, but no one knows what. The whirlpools are creating a storm above the islands, and now only flying Pokemon can reach Cianwood City. Soon, though, not even flying Pokemon will be able to get there if the storm gets worse."

"Whatever it is has essentially cut off all access to Cianwood City, and possibly even all port access to Olivine City if Amphy's situation is related."

Jasmine nodded, put her hand on her chest, then leaned against me again. "I'm afraid that something terrible is coming." She wrapped her arms around me and I stared at her, my face turning deep red.

"M-maybe there's something I can do about it."

Jasmine shook her head. "There's already people trying to stop it, and they haven't figured out anything yet." Jasmine pulled away just slightly and her hand rested on my breast. I blushed even more.

"B-but there's got to be some way to stop it."

"I don't know. All I know is, Amphy needs some medicine and quickly. Unfortunately, since we can't get to Cianwood City, we can't get the medicine he needs." Jasmine sat up and pulled her hands away from me.

"Maybe I can get your medicine for you."

"Do you have a flying Pokemon?"

That question gave me a twinge as I remembered my only flying Pokemon, Sadia, had been killed by Proton. "No...I guess I don't..."

"Scyther," a voice in my head spoke and I looked up. "Scyther." It repeated and I closed my eyes. A vision of me riding upon Scyther's back appeared in front of my eyes. Scyther only took me to the Whirl Islands, but from there I began to wander the caverns of the islands, seeking a passage between the islands so I could get to Cianwood.

"Wait, I have a Scyther," I spoke as I opened my eyes. "He can get me to the Whirl Islands. If I make a path through the cavers under them from the first to the last, I can fly from there to Cianwood. I'd have to do it on the way back as well."

Jasmine bit her lip. "Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"It would, but it would work, and if you need that medicine, we may not have a choice."

Jasmine nodded. "All right." She reached into a pocket in her jacket and pulled out a small sheet of paper. "This is the prescription that I need. Take it to the Cianwood Pharmacy and they'll give it to you." I took the paper. She then handed me some money. "That should cover the cost as well."

"All right, then I'll take care of it." I went to stand up, but Jasmine grabbed me. I turned back to look at her and she was blushing. "Something wrong?"

"I..." Jasmine looked away, then let go of me and put her hands on her lap. "I want to say something...but...I don't know how to say it..."

I blinked in confusion. "Just say it. I won't mind."

Jasmine tightened her fists and closed her eyes. "You have a really nice body!" she shouted. I couldn't help but blush really heavily when she said that.

"Th-thank you."

Jasmine opened her eyes and looked at me. "C-Cianwood City...i-is okay with..." she gulped, "...n-nudity..." I opened my mouth to respond to that, but I didn't know how to. I looked at her inquisitively. "Wh-what I mean is..." She looked away again, tightening her fists even more. "W-would you...s-stay naked...j-just until you get back, I mean?"

I turned as dark as a tomato at those words. I opened my mouth again to speak, but nothing came out. I turned my head, trying to let myself calm down. After a moment, I turned back to her. "Under one condition."

Jasmine looked up at me. "What's that?"

"You have to do the same."

Jasmine turned as red as I was. She looked away quickly, but her body didn't wait for her brain to catch up. Her hands moved up to the top of her dress, and she pulled the straps down her shoulders. The entire dress dropped when she let go, leaving her wearing only a pair of panties that matched her dress. She slowly stood to her feet,then dropped her panties. I smiled. "All right, as long as you stay like that while I'm gone, I'll stay like this."

"H-how will we know we did it?"

"We'll have to trust each other."

Jasmine nodded. "A-all right." She looked me in the eyes for a moment, then smiled. "You have honest eyes. If you say you did with those eyes, then I'll believe you."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "A-all right then." I smiled. I turned, then looked down at myself. "This...is going to be weird..." I whispered to myself. I stepped out onto the balcony and felt the breeze blow against my body. I squeaked a little, then reached into my purse and pulled out Avenger's pokeball. "Come on out, Avenger."

Avenger appeared and readied himself for battle, but upon seeing no opponent, he turned to me with a glare. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I need you to fly me to those islands." I pointed off to the Whirl Islands. "You see that first island that is closest to us? I need you to get me there." I explained the rest of my plan to Avenger and he growled, then sighed.

"Very well. I'll do what you are asking. I won't be pleased with it, but I'll do it."

"Thank you." I climbed on his back and he growled a little. "Alal, return!" I held his pokeball out and Alal zapped back into it. I put it into my purse, then held onto Avenger tight.

"Here we go." Avenger took off into the air and flew forward. We flew over the beach and over the ocean. The Whirl Islands grew closer now, and I could see the enormous whirlpools surrounding it. Something was definitely causing them, and I planned to figure out what it was and why.

* * *

><p>Btw, you can still cameo in any of the Poke saga stories if you would like! Just fill out the below form and submit it as a review! Also, while you're at it, let me know what you think of the story so far by actually leaving a review ^^<p>

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	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Fuck! Run!" I shouted to Avenger as we ran through the twisting caverns below the Whirl Islands. It was gaining on us, and fast! We had to get away, we had to run! We couldn't let it catch us!

"Why are we running?" Avenger snarled. "I'm a warrior, and a true warrior never runs from a fight!"

"Do you want to be killed by that thing?" I shouted.

"I will admit it is a strong opponent."

"It's a fucking god! Of course it's strong!"

Those words made Avenger's eyes go wide as he turned back for only a moment. "Then I suppose we should be running. No warrior's pride is worth fighting a god."

Now, I know what you're wondering. "What the hell is going on?" Am I right? Well, let's just say I found the source of the whirlpools, and it was not happy to see me. In fact, it was not only unhappy to see me, but tried to kill me. Now, you're probably wondering what it was, aren't you? Well, I'll give you a clue. It's what I'm supposed to be fighting against.

I stopped to catch my breath when we escaped out of the cave and onto another island. "Can you fly us to Cianwood from here?"

Avenger nodded. "It will be taxing...but possible."

I nodded. "Then let's go." I hopped onto Avenger's back and we took off. I turned back, looking at the Whirl Islands for a moment. The whirlpools were becoming stronger now. "Oh...he's pissed now..."

"If that beast really is a god, we will not survive another incursion into those islands to return."

I chuckled. "Aren't you always the one claiming that if you die you want it to be a 'warrior's death' against a strong opponent?"

"There is no honor in being destroyed by a god."

"Honor...right..." I really didn't understand it, but Avenger always cared about honor. He claimed to be "a warrior". I'll admit he was definitely strong, but I'm not sure what he meant by being a warrior, or why honor was such a big thing for him. Regardless, I guess it didn't really matter too much at the moment. The important thing was, we escaped from the Whirl Islands. We escaped from Lugia.

It didn't take us long before we reached Cianwood City and finally landed. However, the flight was farther then we had expected, as we hadn't gotten all the way to the last island in the set. The moment Avenger's feet touched the ground, he dropped to his knees. "This is the farthest I can fly..."

I hopped down and smiled. "It's fine, we're here anyway." I pulled Avenger's pokeball from my purse and returned him to the ball. I then tossed Blaze's ball out.

"Ugh...hate when you have to put me in that..." Blaze grumbled.

"Sorry, but it was the easiest way. Avenger wouldn't have been able to carry both of us."

"I know." Blaze smiled. "Besides...that water would have terrified me." Blaze and I giggled at that. "Well, let's go find that medicine Jasmine asked for. She said it was at the Cianwood Pharmacy, right?"

I nodded. "Which should be...that way." I pointed off to the north, and the two of us began to make our way there. On the way, I began to notice just how open people here in this city were. No one was really even paying any heed to me walking around naked right now. In fact, I saw a few guys and girls that were topless. One girl was walking with, what I assume was her boyfriend, and was dressed in just a round hat with a big rim around it and the bottom half of a bikini. It felt a little odd seeing people be so casually open with their bodies. It made me wonder why the rest of Johto couldn't be like that.

"So, you came," a voice spoke and I whirled around. I jumped back when I saw her, Suicune, but this time appearing as she really looked. Her body was shaped similar to that of a dog, and her body was covered in a light blue fur. Her legs and sides had white fur that made little diamond shapes, and her underbelly was white in color. She had some long purple fur that flowed off of her back, and upon the front of her head was a symbol, similar to a diamond, though with six sides. The symbol also had a gap in the middle of it, making it kind of resemble an O as well. She seemed to also have two tails that flowed around her, almost like ribbons.

"S-Suicune."

"He knew you'd be coming here after his brother awoke."

"H-Ho-oh knows about that?"

Suicune closed her eyes and gave a nod, then opened them again. "Ho-oh sees what you see, my dear. It's part of the flame he gave you."

"Then...did he send you to meet with me?"

"He did. He warns you not to return to the Whirl Islands. Lugia is powerful, and if he were to find you there again, his power would destroy you."

"Yeah...he...kinda tried that last time..." I rubbed the back of my neck.

Suicune nodded again. "I am to aid you in your return to Olivine City. Just tell me when you are ready to return, and I will take you there."

"That would be a great help, Suicune." I smiled. "I just have to get some medicine for Jasmine's Ampharos and we can go."

"Suicune~!" I heard a voice shout behind me.

"Oh fuck! Umm...I'll be back by the time you need me!" Suicune quickly turned and dashed off, running across the water until she was out of view.

"No, Suicune!" the voice shouted, and when I turned, I couldn't believe my eyes. Behind me was a very impressive looking man. He wore a very tight purple suit that had four diamonds on the front of it. A white cape then somehow attached to the suit and flowed behind him. He also wore a very large bowtie around his neck, along with white gloves on his hands. He looked like some kind of magician.

"Wh-who...are you?"

The man stared at me for a moment. "You don't know who I am?" He reached into his suit coat and pulled a comb out. He then combed his brown hair back, even though it had already been combed back fine before, then somehow twirled the comb in his hand. I have no idea how he did it, since the comb didn't have anything for him to hold on to so he could twirl it, but he did. He then made a large motion as he brought the comb around, then into his suit coat. "My name is Eusine," he spoke as he pointed his fingers at me, sticking his thumbs up as he did. "I'm hot on the trail of Suicune, the most beautiful Pokemon in the world!"

I stared, finding myself only able to blink in response. I had no words for what I had just witnessed.

"Oh! I saw it! It looked like Suicune was talking to you!"

"Y-yes?"

"Simply divine!" Eusine's eyes began to sparkle as he puts his hands together and began to swoon. "It's said that the Beast Trio tests trainers by letting them get close to them." He quickly shifted, looking very serious. "It is my goal in life to earn the respect of Suicune and have it as my own! If it liked you then...then..." Eusine pointed a finger at me. "That means you're a strong trainer! And if I can defeat you, then I'm a stronger trainer! And if I'm a stronger trainer, then I'll definitely get Suicune's attention!" His eyes were on fire now. "So...umm..." He calmed down and stared at me for a moment, suddenly appearing dumbfounded. "What did you say your name was?"

"I-I didn't..."

"Oh...well, in that case, what's your name?"

"Umm...K-Kotone?" Yeah, he was so out there he had made me forget my own name.

"Miss Kotone!" Eusine shouted as he shoved his face right in my face. "You must battle me! For the glory of Suicune!"

I kneed him in the crotch. "Personal space."

Eusine dropped to the ground. "S-sorry...ma'am..."

"Besides, battling me won't earn Suicune's trust any more then battling anyone else would. Suicune appears around me for a reason, not because I'm a 'strong trainer'."

"And what reason would that be?" Eusine jumped to his feet, seeming to have recovered from that shot pretty quickly, despite how hard I had kicked him.

"I've no reason to explain that to you. If you'll excuse me, I have to find the Cianwood Pharmacy." I turned to walk away, only to feel his gloved hand touch my bare shoulder. It felt awkward, to be honest, and I didn't like it. I was about to react when I felt his hand grab onto my arm. He twirled me around and put his hand to my chin and looked down at me, wait, I did mention he was taller then me, right?

"Just explain to me how you got Suicune to come around you, and I'll leave you alone." Eusine had changed suddenly. A moment ago he had been crazy, and now he had a very serious look on his face, his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" I pulled away from him, but he grabbed me again, this time pulling me completely up against him. His arms were wrapped around my body, pinning my arms together and restricting my movement.

"Suicune is my passion, my very reason for being. I have been seeking after it for twenty years, and today I learn that it has befriended a human. I need only know why it befriended you and not me."

I was genuinely creeped out by this guy and I was trying to struggle against him, but for a thin man, he had a pretty good grip. "Let go of me."

"Tell me what I wish to know!"

"You want to know? I'm betting the reason Suicune doesn't want to even get near you is because you're fucking creepy! Of course it doesn't want to be around you!"

Eusine's eyes went wide and he let go of me. He stepped back a bit, then turned around, his cape flowing as he did. "Another time, then, perhaps." He rushed off to the north and vanished from my sight. I shivered. The feeling of that guy touching my body the way he did...it didn't feel right at all. I wrapped my arms around my chest and began to walk along the coastline of the beach. I would glance up on occasion to examine the buildings around me to see if I could find the pharmacy, but I was having no luck.

"What am I doing?" I asked as I plopped down onto my butt.

"You're looking for the Cianwood Pharmacy, aren't you?" Blaze asked, not understanding my question.

"No...I mean...am I really cut out to be the Chosen One?" I looked down at myself. "Look at me, Blaze. I'm walking around naked, all because one girl I don't even know asked me to. Yes, it seems most people here are open with their bodies, but...I don't know..." I sighed and pulled my legs up against my chest. "I don't even know who I am anymore...and that Eusine guy touching me...it felt weird and I hated every moment of it...Yet, my body was almost asking for more." I looked at Blaze. "Who even am I, Blaze? Why can't I just be a normal person?"

Blaze laid down next to me. "I can't answer who you are, Kotone. One thing I know, though, is that no matter what, I'll stick by your side. Even if, for some reason, you became an evil tyrant threatening to destroy the world. While I wouldn't believe it's right, I'd stick by your side anyway." Blaze nuzzled against me. "No matter what your hormones are telling you, no matter what your mind is thinking, I am now and always will be your friend."

"Thanks," I smiled and pet Blaze. I looked up. "No fucking way..." It was right there in front of me now. There was a great big sign that read "Cianwood Pharmacy" right on it. I rushed forward, Blaze following behind. I opened the door and stepped in. It was a musty kind of place, with all sorts of little potions all over the place. A man stood in the center, holding a mortar and pestle. He was grinding something in it and looked up as I entered.

"Welcome, welcome, how can I help you?"

"I...have a prescription?" I reached into my purse and pulled out the prescription Jasmine had given me and handed it to the man.

"Wah! You want this?!" the man shouted after fixing his glasses to get a better look. "Do you even know how strong this kind of medicine is? No! I cannot give this to you!"

"What? Why not?"

"A Pokemon would have to be on the verge of death in order to need a prescription this strong. Nay, to not overdose on this sort of prescription!"

"But there is a Pokemon on the verge of death!" I shouted. "It's the Ampharos that controls the Olivine Lighthouse. It has the pokerus or something like that."

"Ah!" the man shouted and jumped back. "D-did you say 'pokerus'?!"

"Yes?"

The man pushed up his glasses and they reflected the light from around the room. "Then I shall start work on this at once! Come back tomorrow! I'll have it by then!"

"Tomorrow?!" I shouted. "And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"This is Cianwood City. You could challenge the Gym Leader. Or, someone with your kind of..." he cleared his throat, "...body...might enjoy a refreshing day at the beach." He shrugged. "It matters not to me! I have a potion to make at once!" He tossed the mortar and pestle aside and immediately pulled out several herbs.

I sighed. I wasn't sure how to take the comment about my body, but then...I was naked. I should have expected to get something like that, even in a city like Cianwood. I grumbled and made my way out. "Come on, Blaze."

"What are we doing?" Blaze asked as she followed behind.

"I have a Gym to face."

"But I need to challenge the Gym Leader!" I shouted at a man dressed in a karate uniform. The Gym was designed like a cliff-side, and in the center was a waterfall. At the bottom of the waterfall was a rather large man, naked from the waist up. Water was pouring down on top of him from the waterfall.

"You can challenge him if you can turn off the waterfall," the karate guy said. "Otherwise, he'll be under there for a week before he gets out."

I sighed. "Fine..." I stepped over to the cliff-side and looked up. I could see a lever at the top. I reached one hand forward, grabbed onto a piece of rock, then used that to push myself up. I started climbing up the cliff-side in that manner, one hand after the other, securing my footholes with each step. Oddly, though I was naked, I felt more secure. I could feel the rock beneath my feet, and while I could feel the rocks grinding into the sole of my foot, I also could get my foot into a hole easier then if I had had a shoe on. I spent a few minutes climbing my way up until I reached the top and grabbed the lever. I pulled with all my strength, and the lever clicked, stopping the water flow of the waterfall.

"GRAH!" the big man shouted and stomped the ground. The cliff-side shook and I lost my grip. I felt myself fall, but the man reached out and grabbed me. "Are you the one who turned off my waterfall?!" he shouted at me.

"I came to challenge the Gym Leader," I spoke as I jumped out of his arms.

The big man smirked. "I am Chuck! To face me, you must be a fool! A little girl like you is no threat to me!"

"Excuse me? First of all, I'm not a 'little girl'. Second of all, I'm not a fool. I can beat your ass easily."

"Then try!" Chuck drew a pokeball from his belt. "Primeape, let's show her our stuff!" From the pokeball appeared a spherical monster. It was covered in fur and had two long legs and two long arms that were bare, but muscular. What looked like the ends of chains were upon its wrists and ankles, and it had a big pig-nose on the front of its face. It's eyes sat inside the ball of fur, and two ears, almost cat-like in nature, were on the top of its head.

"A fighting-type, huh?" I smirked and shook my head. "I know you're a Challenge Level 6 Gym, but really...I figured you'd be smart enough to know that your challengers would have well-rounded teams by now. That means..." I paused for dramatic effect as I drew a pokeball out of my purse. "I have a Pokemon that's perfect for dealing with you! Tepi, let's do this!" I tossed Tepi's pokeball forward, releasing her into the fight. I knew using a normal-type was risky, but her now flying-type side gave her an advantage. Not only that, but her psychic move, Extrasensory, would help even more. "Tepi! Extrasensory!"

Tepi's eyes began to glow as a dark aura surrounded her. Chuck stared at me, his eyes wide. The Primeape began to clearly sweat as it knew what was coming. A wave of energy shot forward from Tepi, throwing the Primeape back into the cliff wall. "Really now, did you not think I'd have either a Psychic or Ghost-type Pokemon to back me up at this point?"

Chuck growled. "We're not finished yet! Primeape, Focus Punch!" Primeape pulled its fist back.

"Tepi, Extrasensory before it can focus!" A wave of energy shot forth before the Primeape could react. "Not a bad move, since Tepi is a normal-type, but really...Focus Punch? If you can't focus, you can't punch!"

Chuck roared. "Primeape, return!" Primeape zapped back into its ball, having been knocked out by the second Extrasensory. "Poliwrath, let's do it!" He released a large blue circular creature from the ball. It had two muscular arms and legs, and a white front that had a black swirl on it going clockwise outward from the center of its chest.

"I thought you were a Fighting-type Gym...and you're using a Water-type?" I asked, confused.

"Poliwrath is Water/Fighting!" Chuck shouted.

"Yes, WATER/Fighting. It's first type is Water, not Fighting. Lily!" I threw Lily's pokeball forward and Tepi flew back to me. "Thunderbolt!" The Poliwrath's eyes went wide and took the bolt full force. It went down in a single hit. "Next?"

"That...that was my last Pokemon..."

My eye twitched. "You...only had two Pokemon?" I growled and shouted the next part. "You're a Challenge Level 6 Gym and you only have two Pokemon?!"

"I...usually don't need more then that..." Chuck rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He then cleared his throat. "Well, then! You beat me fair and square!" I stepped over to me. "Congratulations!" He slapped me on the back, which knocked me over and hurt a bit. "Here's the Storm Badge for beating the Gym!"

"Thanks..." I groaned as I stood to my feet and took the badge. I rubbed my back as I walked out. I sighed. That Gym had been all too easy. I had been worried it would be hard, being a Challenge Level 6 Gym, and having missed Jasmine's Gym. This made me worried about how easy the next Gym would be. If Chuck had been that easy...a Challenge Level 5 would be much easier. Sure, I was happy I was getting stronger, and my team as well, but...most trainers aren't this strong... It made me worried that it might simply be the fact that I was chosen by Ho-oh that made me strong, and I worried that meant my strength wasn't genuine.

I stepped out onto the beach of Cyanwood City and sat down. Blaze stepped over to me and lied down next me. I pet her gently and smiled. "Well, guess we just have to get the prescription tomorrow now."

Blaze looked up at me. "Are you feeling better?"

I looked down and shook my head. "I'm even more worried now...what if our strength was only from Ho-oh? What if...I would have lost there normally?" I sighed. "You guys haven't even evolved again, yet. Most trainers have fully evolved teams by the time they face the sixth Gym..."

Blaze rubbed against me. "We'll evolve soon, don't worry. We'll all be strong on our own power, promise."

I smiled a little. "I hope you're right."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

I spent the night at the Pokemon Center, then awoke the next morning. I spent the first hour or so of my day getting woken up, finding a place to eat - they only had a few little restaurants there, and finally making my way to the Cianwood Pharmacy. When I arrived, the pharmacist smiled up at me. "Ah, you have good timing, I just finished that medicine a few minutes ago," he spoke with a smile, then grabbed a small bottle from nearby. "This is it, the special potion you needed to heal the Ampharos."

I picked the bottle up, looking at its strange red color. It wasn't in a spray or anything like that, unlike other potions were. This one was simply in a small vial-like bottle, only really big enough for a single dose. I wondered how something so small could have taken so long to make, but I figured it had to do with the preparation of the herbs and such. I didn't know anything about potion making, and I sort of didn't care, so I didn't bother to ask.

Once I collected up the bottle, I made my way back to where I had seen Suicune the day before. Sure enough, she was there, waiting for me. "You have the potion?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready to head back now."

Suicune nodded. "Then hop aboard." She lowered herself down and I climbed onto her back. Let me tell you, feeling fur on your naked body is a weird feeling, almost exhilarating. And then, Suicune began to rush off, running across the water. I'll be honest and say...I had to try really hard not to have a sudden orgasm over the wind blowing against my body. It felt wild, exhilarating, and I didn't want it to end. When we finally reached the shore of Olivine City, I jumped off Suicune's back and began to moan. "Was it too rough for you?"

"No..." I moaned. "It actually felt really good..." I couldn't help myself, I reached my hand down and began to stroke between my legs. I can't really say how long I did that for, but I don't think it was very long. I was already pretty much set as it was, so adding the extra pleasure onto it at the end...it didn't take long for me to cum. I do remember letting out a really loud moan at the end, though, one that made me turn a deep shade of red.

"Are you okay?" Suicune asked after I finished.

"Y-yeah...I am now..." I looked down at my hand. I hadn't done that very much, so the feeling of cumming, and the sticky substance now on my hand felt so strange. I knew it was all a natural thing, but it was still so new to me. I quickly washed myself and my hand off in the ocean, then turned back to Suicune. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"You're welcome, Kotone." Suicune turned towards the north. "Now, then, I must be off." With that, Suicune rushed ahead. I desperately wanted to get back on her, to feel the wind on my body like that again, but I knew I shouldn't have desired it.

I quickly released all of my Pokemon from their balls again, then turned to Alal. "Get me back up that lighthouse?"

Alal nodded, then lowered his head. I climbed on and he carried me back up to the top of the lighthouse. When I looked in, I saw Jasmine sitting there next to the Ampharos. A police officer was there, and the two looked like they were yelling. I wasn't sure why, but he didn't seem happy about something. I hopped down onto the balcony area, then knocked on the glass door. The officer quickly turned around and drew his gun, pointing it at me.

I threw my hands up quickly. I didn't want to get shot! I began to tremble as the officer started walking towards the door slowly, and I could see Jasmine shouting at him even more. He turned, shouted back at her, then turned back to me. Once he reached the door, he opened it. "Jasmine isn't accepting challenges!" he shouted at me.

"I'm not here to challenge her!" I quickly retorted, trying to be calm despite being terrified. "She asked me to get some medicine for Ampharos, so I did. I came to deliver it."

"For fuck's sake, Kira, let her in!" Jasmine shouted and the officer turned and scowled at her.

"If Jasmine trusts you..." The officer put the gun away and I gave a heavy sigh as I lowered my hands.

I walked inside and reached into my purse, pulling out the vial of red liquid. "The pharmacists said this was it?" I held it out to Jasmine.

Jasmine nodded. "Thank you, Kotone." She took the vial, opened it, then poured it into Amphy's mouth. Amphy's recovery was amazing to watch, as it seemed to only take a few minutes. Before I knew it, Amphy was back on her feet again. "I'm glad...she's okay..." Jasmine spoke with a sigh of relief.

"I have a question in all of this..." the officer suddenly spoke up. "Why are both of you naked? This is a public lighthouse, not the nude beach."

"I...well...we..." I stuttered.

"I explained already, Kira," Jasmine grumbled. "Kotone and I made a promise. It was a weird one, but it was still a promise." She looked up at me, then stood to her feet. "I promised her that I would stay naked until she got back if she did the same for me."

The officer raised an eyebrow. "Why did you do that?"

"Look at her body!" Jasmine grabbed one of my breasts and I squeaked. "She's fucking hot!"

Both me and the officer blushed really heavily at that. "Th-that is true..."

Jasmine looked into my eyes. "Kotone..." she paused, then looked away. She wrapped her arms around me and I stared at her, unsure of how to react. "Kotone...I don't know if you know...but I like girls...like...a lot..." She sighed. "When I saw your body...I couldn't resist you. I wanted you so badly. I made that promise because...I wanted you to be naked for me..." I stared at her even more. I was completely at a loss for words. "You probably hate me, don't you?"

"N-no, not at all." I began to gently stroke her hair. "Actually, I think you're pretty hot yourself, I just..." I reached back and rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't really know what I like..."

Jasmine put her hand to her chin, then gave me a sinister smirk. "We could find out." She quickly squeezed my breast and I gave a rather sudden moan. I say that because I hadn't expected myself to do that. After a moment, I bit my lip and looked into her eyes. Everything I needed to know was there in those eyes. I could sense her longing, her desires, and I felt like I wanted the same thing as her.

The officer quickly cleared his throat, which pulled us away from each other's eyes. "I don't care what you two do, just don't do it here," was all he said. Jasmine smirked, grabbed me by the arm, and with a tug, she ran us straight out to the balcony. The next thing I knew, Alal was carrying us to a more secluded place. I...won't say what happened after that, but I'll say this much. I learned that day, in that moment, that girls can do some pretty incredible things with their fingers.

It was the next day. I was finally dressed, if you want to call it that. I called it that, because I wasn't naked anymore. Instead, I was dressed in a simple red crop top that ended just below my chest, but was also fairly low cut, showing some of my cleavage. I was also wearing the blue shorts I had worn before, the real small ones. It was a nice day, not too hot, but not too cold either.

"Well, Blaze, I guess it's time to finally earn our Mineral Badge from Jasmine," I spoke as I looked towards the Gym.

"If you can get in..." Blaze groaned as we stared at the crowd in front of the Gym.

"Everyone, please, remain calm!" an officer shouted through a megaphone. "The Gym will be opening shortly, but Jasmine has declared a special first Gym battle."

"'Special battle'?" I asked myself as I walked forward.

As soon as I was in the crowd, the officer pointed at me. "And here she is, the woman that Jasmine will be battling first."

"M-me?" I asked as the crowd all turned towards me. They stared at me, some angrily, others shockingly.

The officer put down his megaphone. "Because you were kind enough to help Jasmine with Amphy, Jasmine has declared a first Gym battle with you." The officer turned back to the crowd and picked his megaphone back up. "As for the rest of you! You will all gather single-file into a line! You will have your names taken and a number drawn. Your Gym Battles will be done in accordance to number. If you do not follow these instructions, you will be banned from this Gym, and thus banned from competing in this year's League because you won't have her badge!"

The crowd began to scream and shout about that. "Then you're all banned!" The officer dropped his megaphone, making a loud booming noise as it hit the ground. The crowd was now in an even greater uproar at this.

"Feh...enough of this..." a voice suddenly spoke and I turned around. I had recognized that voice. It was him, the guy I had seen in the Burned Tower. It was Lance! "Come now, all of you! I challenge each and every one of you to a battle! Anyone who wins will get to see Jasmine...after Kotone has had her turn." He knew my name? Well, I guess Silver had said my name in passing a couple times when he was around, but I didn't expect him to remember it! "Any of you who fail to beat me...you will not pass to see Jasmine."

The crowd shouted at him now and one man stepped out from the crowd. "Show me what you got, Dragon Man!" He tossed out a pokeball, releasing a very powerful looking Raticate.

Lance chuckled. "Very well." He tossed a pokeball forward, releasing a massive blue snake-like Pokemon. It had a horn on its head and a blue orb under its neck. "Dragonair, Dragon Rage." The Dragonair unleashed a massive blast of flame forward from its mouth. The Raticate didn't stand a chance. "Next?"

The officer quickly grabbed me by the arm and pulled me inside at that point. Lights flickered on, and I saw Jasmine standing in front of me. She had a black ball with a yellow mark on the top of it in her hand. "I heard you beat Chuck," she spoke with a devilish smirk.

"Yes?"

"Then I don't have to go easy on you. My Gym is a Challenge Level 5 Gym, but if you've already beaten a Challenge Level 6 Gym...I should just hand over my badge to you." Jasmine giggled. "I'm not going to, though. I'm going to use my strongest Pokemon, Rusty. It's your team against him and him only."

I blinked, then nodded. "All right, then, let's do it." I drew a pokeball. "Lily, go!" I threw Lily's pokeball forward, releasing her.

"Rusty, it's time to fight!" From the pokeball came the biggest Pokemon I had ever seen. It was bigger even then Alal, but it was of the same species. Rather, I should say, Rusty was the evolved for of my Onix. Rusty was a massive rock snake known as a Steelix. Instead of being simply stone, it's stone body was coated with a layer of steel.

"Oh...fuck..." was all I could manage to mutter.

"Rusty, Iron Tail!" The Steelix rose its massive tail into the air which then began to glow. Its tail became a solid sheet of metal, which then swung straight at Lily.

"Dodge!" I shouted. Lily dodged just in time to avoid being crushed by the tail.

"Nice reflexes, but then...I know all about that, don't I?"

I blushed. She was referring to the day before. "Lily, Thunderbolt!" Lily released a bolt of lightning at the Steelix, but it barely seemed even phased by it.

"You're battling a Steel-type, Kotone," Jasmine smirked again. "They're resistant to just about everything."

"They aren't resistant to Electric moves, though."

"Sorry, Kotone, but Rusty here is a Steel-Ground type. He's completely immune to your Electric attacks. Rusty, Iron Tail!"

"Dodge and run up its tail when it comes down!" Lily quickly dodged out of the way, then took off at a run. She ran right up the Steelix's tail and onto its body. "Thunderbolt!" Lily unleashed another bolt, but Rusty swatted her off with ease. "Damn...looks like she's right..." I held out Lily's pokeball. "Lily, return!" I quickly swapped pokeballs. "Let's have some fun, shall we? Alal, let's go!" I tossed his pokeball forward, releasing my own giant rock snake.

Jasmine smirked at this. "All right, this should be fun. Rusty, Iron Tail!" Alal couldn't even begin to think about dodging that. Rusty brought its metal tail and dug it right into Alal's side. Alal gave a roar of pain. "Oh yeah...Onix is a Rock-type, isn't it?" Jasmine giggled again. "Looks like you're weak to Steel."

I smirked. "Earthquake!" Alal roared and quickly bashed its head against the ground, creating a massive earthquake. Jasmine and I both found ourselves falling over from the quake. Rusty roared as the ground rose up around it from the quake, digging deep into its metallic body. "You may have high resistance because Rusty's a Steel-type, but Steel-types have one big weakness. They can't stand Ground type moves!"

Jasmine bit her lip and gave a low growl. We both had a weakness to each other, which meant that whoever attacked first dealt the most damage. "Go, Rusty! Hit it with Iron Tail!"

"Earthquake!" I shouted.

Alal slammed his head into the ground just as Rusty brought its metallic tail right into Alal's body once again. The ground shook as the two collided and a dust cloud erupted from the ground. I quickly covered my face with my arm until the dust cloud cleared. Once it was gone, I turned to see the victor of the attacks. What I saw was not what I expected. Both Alal and Rusty were lying on the ground, both wiped out from each other's attacks. However, Alal was lying on top of Rusty, signifying he was the last to fall, even if by only a second or two.

Jasmine smiled and returned Rusty to his ball. I quickly returned Alal as well. "Guess you win," Jasmine stood to her feet, then stepped over towards me, holding out the Mineral Badge. "Congratulations."

I smiled and took hold of the badge. "Thanks. That was a great battle."

"The battle was all right. Yesterday was better." I choked on those words and blushed heavily. She smirked. "I'd go for another round if you want." She wrapped her arms around my neck. "It's up to you."

I'll admit to not saying no to that...

It was a little while later, I can't say how long later, when I got up from Jasmine's bed. "I should get going."

Jasmine nodded. "Let me give you something before you go." She got up while I dressed and opened a drawer. She handed me a small circular object. "This is Metal Coat. If you give it to your Onix and then you trade it to someone, it'll evolve into Steelix."

I blinked as I stared at it, then smiled. "Thank you." I took it and quickly put it into my purse. I was mostly dressed now and just had to put my shoes on. As I did, Jasmine began to kiss me on the cheek. I moaned a little as she moved down to my neck and began to bite gently on my neck.

"You never run out of energy, do you?" I giggled, then gave a moan.

"I'd fuck you all day long if I could."

I blushed at that. The worst part is, I would have let her if I could have. I pulled away from her, then kissed her gently on the lips. "Maybe next time." I winked, then grabbed my purse and walked out. The day up to this point had been quite an interesting one, and now my adventurers here in Olivine were done. Before I left, I took one last look out to the Whirl Islands. "Lugia...I'm getting stronger. I will defeat you." I then turned and looked out to Route 39. I could only wonder what my future would hold. Little did I know, in only a few more weeks, I'd be re-encountering a particular evil organization and soon have to stop their grand evil plot.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Remember when I said I would meet Ethan in Olivine a while back? Yeah, I forgot to make mention of that part. Sorry about that. Like most of my encounters with Ethan, it lasted about the entire day. We spent the day talking about what had happened so far, and where our journeys had taken us to this point. In the end, we spent the night together like usual, then headed out on our individual ways. I made my way back towards Ecruteak City while Ethan continued on to Cianwood City. Apparently there was a new Safari Zone opening there within a couple of days and he wanted to check it out. It was apparently owned by the same guy who had owned the Fuschia City one. I didn't really care, I wasn't interested in the Safari Zone.

If you don't know what the Safari Zone is, it's basically just a place for people to go to catch Pokemon, but in a more peaceful sense. You don't take any Pokemon with you into the Safari Zone, and you catch the Pokemon using special "Safari Zone Pokeballs" more commonly called "Safari Balls". The Pokemon in the Safari Zone are domesticated so that they won't attack humans who enter it. And that's really all there is to know about the Safari Zone, or at least the Fuschia City one. Each Safari Zone has their own rules beyond that, but those are unique to them. Most regions have a Safari Zone of some kind, though, so you probably already knew all of that.

That aside, as I said before, I made my way back to Ecruteak City. As I entered the city, I noticed that the sun was beginning to set, yet the city seemed to be pretty lively. It seemed like most people were travelling in one particular direction. Curious of this, I followed them, making my way to what turned out to be some kind of a dance theatre. I stepped inside, noticing that it seemed like there were quite a few people gathered here. In fact, the theatre was crowded full to the point where there almost wasn't any room left.

In front of me was a wooden stage. It was raised about three feet off the ground, which really wasn't that high. As I watched, a door from behind the stage slid open, revealing a younger woman, no older then me, if not younger. She was dressed in a purplish-pink kimono, and her hair was kind of a dark purple color. She had her hair up in pigtails, which I thought looked really cute on her. The kimono looked similar to the ones I remembered both Yuki and Mitsuru wearing, and I wondered if this could be one of the other three sisters.

"Thank you everyone for attending today," the girl spoke with a bow. She turned and nodded to someone off to the side, who began to play some music. She began to dance after that, and I stared, bewildered by this majestic dance. She moved so elegantly, so carefully, I had never seen someone move with such grace before. I wondered if all five of the "Kimono Sisters", as I was currently calling them, were good at dancing.

I continued to watch this majestic dance for several minutes before someone in the crowded shouted, "Take it off!" Everything went sour at that moment. The girl that was dancing stopped, and the music halted abruptly. Everyone turned to the one who had spoken.

"Wh-what?" the girl asked, absolutely mortified at the shout.

"I said take it off!" The one who shouted stepped through the crowd. I could now see him. He was a tall man, not very strongly built, but definitely not weak. In fact, his height was probably the most intimidating thing about him. He was also dressed in a black shirt and black pants. He climbed up onto the stage. "Well, isn't that what you kinds of girls do? You dance and strip off your clothes while doing so?"

"N-no!" The girl screamed.

The man grabbed hold of her kimono. "Well, you're going to today, little girl." He tugged on her kimono and she struggled, trying to resist him. I quickly looked around, hoping someone would be making a move to stop this. This was horrible and it was wrong, but everyone was just staring forward. Some even seemed eager to see how it would play out. It was disgusting, really, and it only took a moment for me to decide I had to do something. I pushed through the crowd, drawing a pokeball from my purse as I did. "Let's go, Blaze!" I shouted and tossed Blaze's pokeball forward.

The man turned, and my eyes went even wider. I knew I had thought I had seen the outfit the man was wearing before, and now, seeing the large red R that was emblazoned on it made it clear where. "Team Rocket! Stop what you're doing right now!" I shouted.

"Eh? And who the hell are you?" the grunt asked as he stared at me.

I smirked. "I'm the one who ruined your plans in the Slowpoke Well, and I'm the one who will ruin your plans here as well. My name is Kotone Kamiya."

"K-Kotone?!" the grunt shouted. "Master Proton warned me about you!"

I smirked. "Good, then you know not to mess with me?"

"He said to destroy you!" the grunt shouted as he pulled out a pokeball. "Let's go, Koffing!" He tossed his ball forward, releasing a purple spherical pokemon that looked a bit like a meteorite because of the holes on all of its sides. It had a white skull-and-cross-bones symbol marked on its chest as well.

"Koffing? Really? That's your best shot?" I shook my head. "Blaze, use Quick Attack!" Blaze rushed forward, striking the Koffing hard.

"Koffing! Use Smokescreen!" the grunt shouted and Koffing let out a black cloud of smoke that began to fill the theatre. I could hear people in the crowd coughing from the smoke.

"Everyone, get out of here!" I shouted. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and growled. The smoke was filling the entire theatre, and I couldn't see anyone, not even Blaze. I felt a hand touch me, and I recoiled at first. Then I noticed the girl's face in the smoke. She was covering her mouth as well, and she grabbed onto my arm. "Blaze, run towards the exit!" I shouted. I quickly turned towards where the smoke was weakest and soon managed to get out of the theatre. The rest of the crowd had evacuated as well, and Blaze came rushing out only a moment later.

"Is he still in there?" I asked as I turned back to the dance theatre.

A moment later, I got my answer as the Rocket Grunt stumbled out, coughing pretty hard. "All right...maybe...that wasn't so smart..." he spoke between coughs. He dropped to his hands and let out a rather loud and raspy cough. For a moment, I thought he was going to literally cough up a lung.

"You alright?" I asked as I knelt down next to him.

"I'm a Rocket! I don't need your pity!" he shouted, then proceeded to cough again. "Koffing!" I saw the purple ball float out of the theatre. It wasn't putting out any more spoke, which was good, but then, we were outside now, so it wouldn't have been as big a problem either way. "Use Smog!"

Koffing floated its way towards Blaze, who hissed at it as it got close. It puffed itself up, then squeezed its body, pushing out a terrible purple smoke. Blaze began to cough. "Blaze! Use Return!" Blaze pulled herself up onto her back legs, then swung her paw at the Koffing. The punch hit Koffing hard in the center of its body, which sent it flying high into the sky. Before anyone could react further, Blaze began to glow brightly. Her form almost doubled in size, going from almost three feet tall, to a bit over five foot tall. In fact, she was about as tall as I was now.

As the Koffing came flying back down, she hit it with her head, knocking it to the ground. "Send out your next!" I shouted.

The Rocket stared, his face pale. "BAIL!" he shouted and rushed off, leaving his Koffing behind.

I sighed and shook my head. "Seriously? That was the best he could do?" I turned to Blaze and began to look her over now. She was really tall, but that wasn't the only change. Her arms had gotten longer, and her legs had become sturdy enough to support her body weight on them. The red spots that had sat on her head now sat on her neck. I smiled. "Well, looks like that was exactly what you needed to evolve, huh?"

Blaze looked down at herself, now realizing the same thing. "I...evolved..." she spoke, staring in surprise at herself. She took a couple steps as she got used to her new form. "This is quite a change..."

"Is something wrong?"

Blaze turned to me, now realizing just how tall she was. "I'm as tall as you now!"

"Yeap." I smiled and hugged her. "You're amazing."

Blaze smiled and wrapped her arms around me. "You're a great trainer, Kotone."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ha, I don't think so, but if you say so."

"Thank you," the dancing girl spoke as she stepped up to me. "I...I didn't know what to do when he grabbed me."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just disgusted that no one else made a move before me. I mean, I was in the back row. Anyone else could have done something." I turned my gaze to the crowd. "You hear that? Any of you could have done that! I'm not the only one who could do that! Think about that next time!"

"But that would have been hot to watch!" one of the guys shouted out.

I was already disgusted by that shout, but then even more people in the crowd began to shout out in agreement with him, saying things like "She's hot, I'd love to see her get stripped!"

I growled. "You're all sick!" I shouted. "This girl was about to get fucking raped, and you were all excited for it?! Are you fucking kidding me?! I have half a mind to punch you all right in the face here and now!"

One of the guys shouted out, "Go ahead and try it! You're just a bitch anyway!"

I growled again, but the girl grabbed me before I could make a move. "It's okay...just leave them be."

"Fuck that! These bastards need to be taught a fucking lesson! Rape is not something they should be happy about!"

"Please...just leave them alone..." the girl whimpered and I stared at her. I began to wonder why she was acting like this. Was she just timid? Or...was there an underlying thing? I grabbed her.

"Come on, let's get out of here." I pulled the girl away from the group and we disappeared into the city.

Turns out the girl was Sakura, the youngest of the five "Kimono Sisters". Apparently, their family name was actually Katsuragi. We had made our way to her house, which was currently empty. The other four sisters were out on errands in other cities, leaving her to tend the dance theatre herself and house herself. "Sakura...is something wrong?" I asked.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sakura asked, startled by the question.

"I mean earlier, when I was yelling at that crowd, why did you stop me?"

"I-I didn't want you to get hurt..." Sakura looked away from me.

"I'm a strong woman, I can handle myself." I reached out and lightly touched her chin. I turned her to look at me. "Sakura...what's wrong?"

Tears came to her eyes and she pulled away from me. I wasn't sure how to react, but I could only imagine what it meant. She sat there, looking very tense for several long moments, not speaking a word.

"You've been raped before, haven't you?" I asked, almost coldly. I don't know why it came out that way, it just did. Sakura didn't speak, but only nodded. My blood boiled. "I should fucking kill them..."

Sakura quickly grabbed me again, burying her face in my chest. "Please don't..." she whimpered. "It's my fault..."

"Your..." Oh fuck no! She was so deep in this sorrow, I couldn't even imagine what she had been through. I mean, I'd only been nearly raped by Proton. This girl had been actually raped, and I was starting to guess multiple times by how she was acting. "No, there's no fucking way that it could be your fault."

"But it is!" Sakura shouted as she looked up at me. "I'll show you why!" She jumped to her feet and rushed off. It was a few moments before she returned. She was no longer dressed in her kimono now, but was instead dressed in a purple halter-style top and miniskirt. She was blushing a deep red. "Look at me...these are the kinds of clothes I wear...everyone who looks at me just calls me a slut. Sometimes, after I dance, I'll go change into my normal clothes, and when I come out...I get grabbed. The guy touches me all over before he starts to rape me." Tears were streaming down her face now. "He tells me...he says that it's my fault...if I didn't dress like this...he wouldn't do it...but when I dress regularly, I get told I'm a prick or too conservative..."

I can't even describe the rage I was feeling at that moment. It was taking every ounce of strength I had to not go searching for this guy and fuck him over, and by that I mean beat the living tar out of him, if not outright murder the guy. "Who does this to you?" I spoke in a very flat tone.

"I...I don't know his name...but he's always there...He's got red hair, and wears dark clothes."

Red hair, dark clothes...fuck! It couldn't be who I was thinking of, but...no...it was entirely possible. I'm fairly sure he tried to rape me there in Olivine, and he strips me just about every time I see him anyway. And if he was doing this as well... "Does he have any Pokemon?"

Sakura shrugged. "He's never used them if he does..."

True, I think he had only used his Pokemon on me once. "I'll fuck him up real good next time I see him, don't worry about that."

"Please...don't...I...I don't think he means to do it..."

"FUCK THAT!" I shouted, which made her duck in fear. "Sorry..." I looked away and cleared my throat. "I've encountered him a few times already, and he tries to fuck me every time we meet. If he's doing it to other people as well...the guy deserves what's coming to him." I made a fist and punched my hand with it. "He's stolen Pokemon, caused trouble all over the place, and now I find out he's raping people as well. No, I can't just let him do what he wants, and the police here don't seem to be doing anything about it. I'm gonna fucking murder him next time I see him." I remembered Celebi asking me to do that already. Back then, I wouldn't have even considered it, but now? I was going to do exactly what Celebi wanted. I was going to fuck him up good.

Sakura threw her arms around my waist, which startled me. "Please don't..." she whimpered. "I don't think he's a bad person...he's just misguided...I think...I think something is making him act that way..."

A thought shot through my head. It's true, he was the Chosen One of Lugia, after all. What if he wasn't acting of his own accord? What if Lugia was making him do such terrible things? Ho-oh was trying to make me a good person who wanted to help people, so wouldn't Lugia be doing the exact opposite to Silver? Yes, it made sense. I didn't know to what extent it was that Lugia could control him, but I remembered my own hormones, and how Ho-oh's powers had screwed up my already imbalanced system. What if Lugia's was doing the same to him? What if he was doing these things just because he didn't know how not to do it? That was why I was doing things now...

That thought suddenly made me realize the position Sakura and I were in. I blushed heavily. "I...I won't...I promise."

Sakura smiled as she pulled away from me. "Thank you." She now brought her arms around my back, and I felt her head press into my chest. I actually tried really hard not to let out a sudden moan that wanted to escape. My hormones were starting to take over, and I remembered what Mitsuru had said, that her "youngest sister liked girls". Remembering that made my entire body become tense. I had to resist the urges my body was suddenly sending me. I couldn't give in.

As I left Sakura's house, I felt a pain in my chest. I had gone with her to get away from the crowd, and I had stayed with innocent intentions. When I left...I had left her a little less innocent, and I felt ashamed of myself. I hadn't wanted to do it. I had tried to resist with all of my might, but then I slipped. I pulled her down with me, and our lips had met on the floor. From there, the rest was history. "Ho-oh, you bastard!" I shouted as I turned to the Bell Tower. "You better fucking fix me once I stop this fucking war with your brother! YOU HEAR ME?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "YOU BETTER FUCKING FIX ME!"

Of course, I didn't get any kind of response. I mean, I didn't even know if Ho-oh was even at the Bell Tower, and even if he was, there's no way my voice would carry to the top of it. Still, it felt good to yell anyway. Of course, supposedly Ho-oh could see and hear everything I did because I was being kept alive by his flame, and that just brought up another question: Was I going to die after all of this? Once I was done being Ho-oh's Chosen One, would he remove his flame? Would that kill me? I didn't have the answer to that, and it scared me.

I turned towards Route 42, where Mt. Mortar sat. I began to make my way onward. My next destination was Mahogany Town. I had to hurry and collect the last two badges I needed to get into the Pokemon League so that I could get into Kanto and find the three Chosen Ones Ho-oh had lost before me. I had to find them and get their power so I could end this stupid thing once and for all.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

There was a deep, dark, and terrible roar as rain poured down upon my head. The Lake of Rage had become a battleground between a terrible monster and its one-time kin. The terrible beast flailed and roared, unleashing its powerful Hyper Beam left and right, destroying all of the land around it. It's mighty attacks were even causing the water around it to evaporate and return upon the land as rain. It was a horrendous sight.

"We've finally made it to Mahogany Town," I spoke as I smiled. This was one the place where one of the last two Gyms I had to face was. After this, I'd be heading to Blackthorn City in the mountains for my last badge. After I thought that thought, I noticed there was a dark aura about the town. It wasn't just the fact that it was cloudy, either. The people here seemed genuinely upset about something. "What's going on?"

"Kotone!" Blaze gasped as she dropped to the ground, holding her head with her paws.

"Blaze!" I shouted and quickly knelt down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"There's something..." Blaze fought the words out. Her eyes were shut tight and she was trying to bury her face in the ground. "A sound...a terrible sound..." The flames on her neck erupted and I quickly jumped back. She roared as she got on all fours, her eyes glowing deep red. She roared again.

"Blaze, what's wrong?" I stepped back further, even more worried. She looked crazy, ready to attack. That's exactly what she did, too. A burst of flame shot out from her mouth and I quickly jumped to the side. I was shocked at the fact she had attacked me, but I was even more shocked at the fact she could breathe fire. "Blaze, return!" I shouted and tossed her pokeball at her. She zapped into it, and I quickly rushed over and picked it up. I bit my lip and quickly rushed off to the Pokemon Center.

"Nurse Joy!" I shouted as I rushed into the center, almost tripping as I entered.

The nurse turned to look at me. "Oh no...not another one..."

"Another one?" I asked, worried, as I stopped at the counter.

The nurse nodded. "In the last three days, the Pokemon around here have become ferocious. I'm guessing the same happened to yours when you came in here?"

"I...yes..." I looked down at Blaze's pokeball. "That is what happened."

"No one knows what's going on, but something is causing the Pokemon terrible pain. It's making them violent and making them lash out at everything, even their own trainers. No one knows how to stop it..."

"No one, you say?" I heard a voice speak from behind me and my eyes widened. I slowly turned around, not wanting to believe the voice belonged to who I thought it belonged to. Then, I saw her, standing in the doors of the Pokemon Center. It was her, the Pokemon League Champion, Amanda Kujiro. She stood there in the doorway, looking as tall and as powerful as I had always imagined she would. Her long brown hair came down to her waist, and her sapphire eyes looked towards the nurse with a grin upon her face that seemed to say "I'm here to fix everything". She wore a simple outfit, a red halter top and a blue mini-skirt. The top looked almost like a bathing suit top. In fact, knowing Amanda, it likely was. She was well known for running around in as little as possible, her outfits usually consisting of nothing more then a bathing suit. She also had a pair of pink sandals on her feet and had a brown purse that she had slung over her left shoulder that then went down and across her chest and sat against the right side of her waist. She was...also quite busty. Definitely more so then I was.

This woman, Amanda Kujiro, was a woman that I had looked up to for the last three years of my life. I had wanted to be just like her, though maybe a bit more modest. She and her boyfriend had taken down Team Rocket three years ago during the Saffron Invasion and Lavender Project. I think I've mentioned her several times now, actually, and probably said these same words. I...guess I probably shouldn't repeat myself, huh? In either case, she was an amazing person, and she was one of the strongest trainers that Kanto, and by connection - Johto, had ever seen.

"A-Amanda K-Kujiro?" I stuttered as I stared at her. I couldn't believe my eyes. Amanda Kujiro was here in front of me!

"That's me," Amanda spoke as she walked forward, stepping next to me. I swooned. "I was sent by the Pokemon Association to look into the problem here." She had taken on a very serious expression now. "So, what exactly is the problem here?"

The nurse quickly related what she had told me.

Amanda looked down and scratched her chin. She pulled out a pokeball, then turned to the door. "All right, Chu, come on out!" She tossed the pokeball forward and a female Pikachu appeared from it. "What do you hear?"

"There's a terrible sound coming from somewhere..." Chu spoke up as she scratched at her ears. "In fact, it's giving me a bloody headache."

"Return." Amanda zapped Chu back into her ball, then sighed. "A noise only Pokemon can here, huh?"

"You can understand Pokemon?" I asked, my eyes wide at this. I had never heard that Amanda could understand Pokemon, and meeting someone else who could understand Pokemon like me was even more amazing.

"I wouldn't say I can understand Pokemon...as much as having a Psychic-type on my team helps. Chu talks, my Psychic-type reads those words and sends them to my thoughts."

"Oh..." I was actually disappointed by that. The gift of being able to understand Pokemon is a rare one. I once heard that less then 1% of all humans in the entire world were born with the ability to understand Pokemon, and only about 5% of those people were born with the ability to fully understand Pokemon. For most people with the ability, it wasn't that they could understand the words, like I could. More they had an empathic ability to understand the Pokemon's basic thoughts and feelings. Like, a person could look at a Pokemon and know the Pokemon was thinking something like 'I'm really happy' or 'I'm really hurt' no matter what the expression the Pokemon was giving.

"Wait...if there's something driving Pokemon insane...how is your Psychic-type okay?"

Amanda smiled. "It's a Psychic-type, it can drown out anything it doesn't want. You could say it has a sort of psychic barrier up blocking off whatever is affecting the Pokemon around here."

"A psychic barrier..." I blinked, then pulled out Jake's pokeball. "Come on out, Jake!" I shouted, releasing Jake. "Jake! What's going on here?"

Amanda blinked at Jake. "You're asking a Slowpoke?"

Jake, acting in typical Slowpoke fashion, stared blankly into the area around him. He sent a psychic message to me, "There's a radio signal affecting the Pokemon around here. I can't find the source immediately, though..." Then there was a pause in his thoughts. "Kotone...something bad is going on at the Lake of Rage..."

"What's going on?" I asked through the psychic link.

"Something...I don't know...but there's a creature crying out from the lake." I saw a tear begin to roll down Jake's eyes as he closed them. "It's crying! Shouting 'someone, make the pain stop!'"

I didn't even hesitate. I scooped Jake up and rushed out of the Pokemon Center.

The Lake of Rage was to the north of Mahogany Town. It was a pretty decent sized lake, about the size of what one would expect to see in a sort of man-made resort or some such. The lake was natural, but that's about the best comparison I can give you for size. As for why it was called the Lake of Rage? Well, no one really knew. It's been called that for as long as anyone can remember, so its just stuck.

As I ran towards the lake, I noticed it was beginning to rain. First, it was a mild sprinkle, but the closer we got to the lake, the harder it became. Fog lifted off of the lake and began to obscure my vision, but still, I pushed passed it, running as fast as I could towards the lake. When I arrived, I stopped, staring out into the lake. There were many other people doing the same thing, too, and for good reason. In the center of the lake was a terrible monster, a massive red serpent-like Pokemon that should have been blue in color. It was a Gyarados.

The Gyarados roared loudly, making me cover my ears when it did. It thrashed about, spraying water everywhere. It pulled its head back, unleashing a massive Hyper Beam into the lake which caused the water it struck to immediately evaporate. There were several other fish Pokemon in the lake, all red-colored and somewhat stupid looking. They were Magikarp, and they were said to be indestructible. Yet, even so, I could see them being wiped out by this monstrous beast. Some were tossed onto the land, being forced to flail about without air. Some were torn to shreds as a Hyper Beam tore through them. Others were simply tossed around by the Gyarados' terrible flailing.

"That's it!" Jake shouted, standing on his hind legs. "That's the one that is crying!"

"Crying?!" I shouted. "It's roaring something fierce! You call that crying?!"

"Yes. It's in tremendous pain. It's crying and it doesn't know what to do, or how to act. I can hear what its saying. It's saying 'What happened to me?' and 'Stop this pain! Make it go away!'"

I still had my hands to my ears because its roaring was so loud. "What can we do about it?"

"I only know one thing we could do..." Jake closed his eyes and he stretched his arms out. His body began to glow and energy shot out from all around us. It converged into him, and after a moment, he stood there, looking much different. Upon his tail was now a metallic object with spikes on it. It looked like what you would expect to see on a Slowbro when a Shellder bites a Slowpoke's tail, but this one was made entirely of metal. "Gyarados! We come to aid you!"

Gyarados turned, its eyes wide in anger. It roared loudly, and the waves from its roar was enough to even knock me to the ground. Yet, despite that, Jake was still standing tall. "We do not mean to harm you," Jake spoke up. "We only seek to aid you. If you would open your mind to me, I can make the pain stop."

The Gyarados roared again. Was it just in that much pain that I couldn't understand it? Was it actually speaking? Or was it just roaring, like a human would roar when in pain? I didn't hear any words from it, or sense any emotion but anger. Yet, despite that, Jake seemed to be understanding it perfectly.

"Kotone, ready a pokeball."

"What?!" I shouted. "Are you fucking kidding me? You can't catch a Gyarados in a pokeball!"

"Then ready something better then that! I don't care what kind of Arceus damn ball you need to use, just ready one!"

I nodded slowly, then reached into my purse. I pulled out a Great Ball, which was the next best kind of Pokeball. I held it, ready to throw it.

The Gyarados roared and pulled its head back. It was absorbing energy. "Jake! That's a Hyper Beam!" I shouted. A Hyper Beam shot from Gyarados' mouth, aimed right at Jake. Jake rose his hand up, blocking the attack with a psychic barrier.

"Kotone! Throw the ball!"

"Now?!"

"NOW!"

I tossed the ball into the air, then whirled around and gave the ball a steady kick. The ball flew through the air, striking Gyarados in the head. Its eyes went wide as it body dissolved into energy, then vanished inside the ball. The ball dropped into the water, then everything went quiet.

I'm not sure how long passed in that silence. I didn't want to move because I was afraid that the ball would break and the Gyarados would be released again. At the same time, I suppose I spent too long watching to make sure, because the ball had sealed shut after only a few seconds. Still, after staring nervously at the ball for at least a minute, I stepped towards the edge of the lake and reached out for the ball. "I think we stopped it."

"We did, but it's not the only problem," Jake spoke up. "We must make haste back to Mahogany Town. I'm not sure where, but I believe it is coming from there."

I nodded, then took a real notice of Jake's current form. "Wait...did you evolve?"

Jake shook his head. "I may appear as a Slowbro to you now, but I am not. We have an ancient power, the ability to take some of the life force from creatures around us and use it to empower ourselves. Most Slowpoke will use it to appear as though we have evolved, and then, when the trainer isn't watching, they will release the power and evolve properly by having a Shellder bite its tail. This is why, even though our evolution is dependant on Shellder, some of us do not appear to need one."

"That was quite impressive," a voice spoke and I looked up, seeing Amanda standing in front of me now.

"A-Amanda! You...saw that?"

Amanda nodded with a smile. "I must say, I've never seen such a...unique method for using pokeballs as yours before."

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "I-I'm not sure why I can do it like that...but whenever I throw the ball, I don't catch it. In fact, I often just miss the Pokemon entirely."

"Well, it's certainly an interesting way to do it, and if it gets the job done, then all the better. Still, what caused this, I wonder? Was it that sound that Chu heard back in Mahogany?"

"That's exactly it," Jake spoke up. He wasn't speaking in Pokemon, he was speaking in standard Nipponese. "The sound is hurting the Magikarp here, forcing them to evolve. It's controlling them."

"Then we need to find the source of the noise," I spoke up and turned to Amanda. "Any guesses where it might be coming from?"

Amanda shrugged. "None. I can't hear it, so I have no idea, and I'm reluctant to use any of my Pokemon if it means they might become violent because of it."

"Leave it to me." Jake's eyes began to glow after he said that. He stared off towards Mahogany Town for a good few minutes before his eyes changed back and he turned to me. "I know where it's coming from. Follow me, quickly." Jake rushed ahead.

"Wait up!" I shouted as I rushed after him. I can only assumed Amanda followed right behind me, since she was there when we stopped.

It was a small little house, not much bigger then a house made for a single occupant. A tree sat outside the house, and Jake was pointing to it. "There."

Amanda smirked. "Got it. All right, Himika, come on out!" She pulled out a pokeball and tossed it forward, releasing a massive orange dragon-like beast. It's stomach was cream-colored and it had large wings that were blue on the inside. The end of its tail was on fire, and it had two horns on its head. This was a Charizard. "Himika, Flamethrower!" The Charizard reared back and breathed out a blast of flame on the tree, engulfing it entirely. The middle portion of a metal rod inside the tree melted under the intense flames, causing the rod to come crashing down. "Interesting, a radio antennae."

"So that was the source of the sound?" I asked.

"It was," Jake spoke up.

"Well then, let's have a talk with whoever is inside this house, shall we?" Amanda walked up to the door and kicked it open. "Amanda Kujiro, Pokemon League Champion and Pokemon Association Agent!" she shouted. "What's going on in here?"

There was only a single man inside, a man dressed in a black uniform with a red R on the front of it. "Amanda, huh?" He smirked. "Well, League Champion or not, I won't let you step any further into our top secret base."

Amanda chuckled. "Well, well, well, Team Rocket. Glad to see you boys again. I've been waiting a long time for a chance to pummel you guys again." She made a fist and smacked it into her other hand. "Well, then, let's get started, shall we?" She stepped forward and the Rocket member pulled out a pokeball. With quick-as-lightning reflexes, Amanda knocked the pokeball out of his hand, kicked him in the groin, which caused him to drop to his knees, then pushed him to the ground. She then placed her foot on the guys back and smirked. "So, tell me where the entrance to your top secret lair is, before I beat you to a pulp."

"I won't tell you anything!" the grunt shouted and Amanda giggled sinisterly. She bent down and grabbed his arm, twisting it back behind is back. He yelped in pain.

"A-Amanda!" I spoke up quickly and she looked up at me. "Don't hurt him. He's just a grunt."

"A Rocket grunt," Amanda dropped the guy's arm and looked at me. "Kotone, you don't know the things these people have done, the things they're going to do if we don't stop them."

"But hurting him won't get us anywhere." I turned to Jake. "Jake, can you sense any oddities in this room?"

Jake looked around the room for a moment before pointing to a Persian statue in the corner of the room. "There, under that statue."

I smiled. "See?" I spoke to Amanda as I walked over to the statue. "If we just..." I pushed against the statue, but it was much heavier then I expected, "...move...this...statue..." I struggled and pushed with all of my might, but it wouldn't budge.

"Himika!" Amanda shouted and her Charizard entered the room. "Use Strength on that statue!" Himika stepped up to the statue and I quickly jumped out of the way. Himika placed both of her claws on the statue, then with what seemed to be little effort, she lifted the statue into the air. She then hit the statue with her head, smashing it apart. "I just wanted you to move it..." Himika rubbed the back of her neck nervously. Amanda turned back to the grunt. "Well, looks like we got in without your help. Still, I don't like the idea of leaving Rockets behind." She kicked him in the side, making him howl in pain. "Get your ass off the floor and out the door before I do even worse to you." The grunt quickly stumbled to his feet and rushed out the door.

"Not very merciful to them..." I spoke with worry in my voice. Amanda was someone I really looked up to, but here she just seemed...crazy.

"When you see the things I've seen these people do..." Amanda sighed. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't act like this." She turned to the stairway, then back towards me. "You know, you've never formally told me your name."

"Ah! Sorry about that! My name is Kotone Yamaki."

"Kotone Yamaki, huh? Well, Kotone, I'm not going to lie to you. Down those stairs is likely Team Rocket's headquarters. That means it is going to be full of Rockets and none of them are going to show you mercy. You'll have to fight with more then just your Pokemon. I'd highly recommend staying here."

"No way. You weren't any older then me when you handled them yourself. I'm going with you."

Amanda gave a chuckle. "All right, then, but you'll have to stick close and follow what I say."

I gave a determined nod. Without another word, we headed into the depths of the Team Rocket Headquarters.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

I wouldn't say the inside of the Team Rocket Headquarters was a dark place. In fact, it was actually really well lit up. Still, it felt dark. Stepping down the stairs felt like I had entered some kind of pit of terror and doom. I shivered, rubbing my arms as if to keep warm. "Scared?" Amanda asked. Her face was completely emotionless now.

"K-kind of... Last encounter I had with Team Rocket... I almost got raped and possibly even murdered."

"Team Rocket will do much worse things to you, trust me on that. I know..." Amanda made a fist. She looked as if she was trying to suppress a terrible memory.

"Did...did they do something to you?"

"Yes." Amanda stepped forward without another word. The inside of the Rocket HQ was rather large, though you wouldn't know it from the current spot we were in. It seemed as if we were in a hallway of some sort that extended out several feet, I don't really know how long. I know it was long, though. There were several light fixtures against the walls, each roughly about five feet in length. There had to be...maybe twenty of those along the wall, each with a ten or so foot gap between them.

In front of us was a Persian statue, one of which I almost paid no mind to until Amanda put up an arm to stop me. "Team Rocket lays traps everywhere." She pointed at the statue. "Look there." I turned, noticing there was something odd about the statue's eyes. They were glowing a deep red, a dim glow that could almost not be seen. "Walk in front of that and you'll alert the entire compound to our presence here."

"Then what do we do? I don't see a way around it."

"Himika." Himika stepped up behind Amanda when she called. "Can you topple that statue without setting off the alarm?"

Himika nodded and stepped over to the statue. She swung her tail around, smashing the middle of the statue. This exposed several mechanical bits which Himika quickly thrust her claws into.

"That should do it, come on." Amanda quickly returned Himika, then rushed passed the statue. I quickly followed behind her. We made our way down the hall until it turned off to the left. "Strange, there should be a lot more grunts here then this..." Amanda spoke as she looked down the new hallway. There still was no one to be seen. Instead, we saw a strange black and yellow tiled grid on the floor, much like a chess board.

"That floor is probably a trap, isn't it?" I asked as I slowly stepped towards it, eyeing my surroundings to be sure no one was trying to sneak up on me.

"More then likely." Amanda walked over to the tiles and stopped. Each of the tiles was fairly large, at least big enough for a person to stand on each one individually. "Seishin, can you tell where the traps are?" There was a silence for a moment and she nodded. "All right. Kotone, follow me, but carefully. Do not step on anything I do not step on."

We walked to the middle tile of the floor and carefully stepped forward two tiles. Amanda then stepped to her right once, then forward again. She then made a large circular step around the tile she was in front of so that she went around and ended up diagonally away from me. Two more steps to the left, then two forward, followed by one to the right. That was it, we stepped forward and off the tiles.

"That was easy," Amanda spoke with confidence as she pulled on her top a little.

"Now what do we do?"

"We head downstairs." Amanda walked forward to a set of stairs and walked down. This led us to another long hallway. On one side of the hallway were some big double doors, but they wouldn't open.

"Where's all the grunts?" I asked, not liking the fact we hadn't seen so much as one person the whole time.

"That's what worries me..." Amanda rounded a corner and then again down another set of stairs. This was when we heard movement for the first time.

"Yes, ma'am, no problems at all," a voice spoke.

"Good, there better not be," a female voice spoke up. I didn't like her tone, it sounded sinister. "I swear to Arceus if anyone realizes what we're doing before we're able to finish-"

"Amanda Kujiro, Pokemon League Champion and Pokemon Association Agent!" Amanda shouted as she jumped around a corner. The grunt inside screamed in surprise and I swear he had a mini heart attack as he fell out of his chair and clutched his chest.

"You again?!" the female voice shouted and I noticed it was coming from a computer screen in the room. The woman on the computer screen had red deep red hair that reminded me of Silver's hair color. Her hair was even in a similar style with the small bit in the front that stuck up, though her hair curled in the back. She was dressed in a rather tight white uniform that I could only see from the waist up, but it had long sleeves and a black portion in the front that made a sort of V-neck shape to the white bit. I also wondered if she was super busty or if it was just how tight the outfit was on her chest that made it look like that.

"Ariana... causing trouble again, I see," Amanda spoke while grinding her teeth. "Didn't I fuck you up enough last time we encountered each other?"

"I could say the same for you, dear Amanda," Ariana had a death glare aimed right at Amanda. "I hope you know that you set Team Rocket back almost ten years with what you did."

"Oh shut your face, you cunt. You were trying to resurrect dead Pokemon."

"Yes, that was one of our goals in the Lavender Project. If you had left us alone, though, bad things could have been prevented. Don't forget that the Mewtwo Incident and the eruption of the Cinnabar Volcano are entirely your fault."

"Fuck you!" Amanda screamed and threw a pokeball at the monitor. The monitor smashed apart.

"Well, good job, you broke it. Tell me, what was that supposed to accomplish? I can still talk to you, and I can still hear you."

Amanda roared and tossed out a pokeball, releasing her Alakazam. "Seishin! Silence that motherfucker! I don't care how!" Seishin's eyes began to glow brightly before every last bit of machinery in the room, even concealed machinery, exploded simultaneously. Amanda growled loudly. She looked like a wolf about to attack its prey. I reached out to touch her, but she swat me away and knocked me to the ground. "Don't fucking touch me!"

I lied there on the ground, staring up at this woman I had admired for so long. This was a face of her I had never seen. She was beastial, wild, out of control. I wondered what Team Rocket had done to her to make her like this. What kind of sick and twisted acts could they have done to make her so angry? "Amanda..."

Amanda stared at me. I think it was then that she realized what she had done. She looked down at her hands and tears began to roll down her cheeks. She looked back at me for only a moment before running back the way we had came.

"Amanda!" I shouted as I tried to stand to go after her, but I was stopped by Seishin. He held me back with his psychic powers long enough to rush ahead of me and before I could move, both were gone. I looked down at the floor as I pulled myself onto my hands and knees. "What the fuck did they do to you?" I stood slowly to my feet. "What the fuck did you do to her?!" I shouted, but, of course, there was no response.

Before I could move further, the grunt had finally gotten to his feet. With Amanda gone, he was no longer scared to fight. I'll spare you the gruesome details of what happened to him, though. Let's just say... after seeing that... I went a little bit crazy. The poor grunt never stood a chance against my Pokemon, and once his Pokemon were down, I didn't leave him alive either.

I began to wander through the Team Rocket hideout now. As I did, I found two other grunts that challenged me to fight. My Pokemon wasted them easily. They begged for their lives, and in my current state, I wouldn't have left them alive if they hadn't bargained with some important information. Apparently, the leader of the hideout was in his office, and it could only be reached by saying two passwords: "Slowpoke Tail" and "Raticate Tail". They even informed me where their boss was before fleeing for their lives. I should mention that beyond those grunts, I found no others in the whole of the hideout.

From there, I made my way up another set of stairs onto the second floor, and from there up to the door of the boss. I called out the two passwords and I heard something beep. The door then slid open, revealing a large room with a desk and a chair behind it. The chair was turned away from the desk. "Rocket!" I shouted. "I'm here to take you down!"

The chair slowly turned and my eyes went wide. Sitting in the chair was a man dressed in a black suit. A red "R" was emblazoned upon the left part of the suit, and his hair was dark, almost black. His eyes looked menacing and he had a crooked smirk upon his face. There was no doubt who this was. This was the boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni himself.

"No...but...you disappeared three years ago!" I shouted in surprise. "How can you be here now?"

Giovanni chuckled. "My dear child, it's simple. I vanished because I wished to train after my humiliating defeat against that brat - Amanda Kujiro. Now that I've trained myself, I've returned to take my rightful place as ruler of Team Rocket."

I growled and clenched my fist. "You... I don't know what the fuck you did to Amanda three years ago, but I'm going to make sure you never harm anyone again!"

"Just try it." Giovanni pulled out a pokeball, releasing a Zubat. But, why was it a Zubat? Giovanni used ground-types, right? He was a ground-type Gym Leader, after all. Whatever, now wasn't the time to think about it.

"Tepi! Come on out and take that thing down with Extrasensory!" I tossed Tepi's ball forward. The moment she appeared, she sent a psychic wave of energy straight at the Zubat. It screeched and flapped its wings wildly before it collapsed to the ground. "Good job, Tepi!" Tepi wobbled a bit in the air as Giovanni chuckled. "What?" I growled.

"Look at your pathetic Pokemon."

Tepi whirled around towards me, unleashing a blast of psychic energy at me, knocking me to my knees. "Tepi?"

"It's confused thanks to Supersonic. It's not going to listen to you now."

I reached for Tepi's pokeball, but she blasted me with another psychic blast, which sent the pokeball flying out of my hand. "Tepi! It's me, Kotone! I'm your friend!" Tepi shook her head, trying to break free of the confusion, but it wasn't working. I took this chance to draw out another pokeball. "Let's go, Alal!" Alal roared as his massive form appeared in the room, breaking through the roof as he did.

Giovanni stumbled back as the ground shook from Alal's appearance. "Well, seems you've got yourself a little toy there, girly." His voice had changed! Whereas his voice had been the familiar deep voice of Giovanni a moment before, now it was higher-pitched, almost squeaky.

"You're not Giovanni!"

Giovanni growled and ripped off the wig on his head to reveal purple hair that stuck up in an awkward way that I can't even describe. "You're right, I'm not Giovanni. I'm Petrel, one of the Team Rocket Four! And you've just made things even worse for yourself!" He drew out two pokeballs. "Koffing! Raticate! Go!" A big purple ball full of holes and a large brown rat now appeared in front of me. "Koffing, Smoke Screen!" The Koffing released toxic gas from each of the holes in its body that quickly filled the room.

I began to cough from the gas and I quickly reached into my purse and pulled out a cloth that I covered my mouth with to try and keep myself from inhaling the gas. "That won't stop me!"

"No, but this will! Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

Alal roared loudly as something dug deep into his rocky body. I knew exactly what happened, too. Raticate was sticking its teeth right into Alal's body by using Hyper Fang, a move that, even against pokemon who are strong to it, was still painful and deadly. "Alal! Shake it off!" Alal tried to shift so as to knock the Raticate off, but it only dug in deeper.

"You're in trouble now! Crunch it!"

Alal roared even more. The Raticate was biting down hard on Alal, and worse, Alal wasn't resistant to Crunch because it was a dark-type move as opposed to a normal-type like Hyper Fang. "Return!" I shouted as I returned Alal to his ball.

"Crunch her!" Petrel shouted. From out of the smoke came the teeth of the Raticate. I barely had enough time to react as I threw up my arm. The Raticate bit down hard on my arm and I screamed in pain. The gas stopped as Petrel stepped over to me. "Had enough, girly?"

"I'll never surrender to Team Rocket!" I shouted as blood was now pouring down my arm.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang her leg."

I screamed as I felt the Raticate bite down on my leg. I dropped to the ground as blood was beginning to go down my leg from the bite. "I still won't surrender..." I winced as pain was flooding through me. "You'll have to kill me!"

Petrel chuckled. "Oh no, we'll do far worse then that to you. I guarantee that."

"Tepi! Extrasensory!" A psychic blast shot out from Tepi, slamming into Petrel which caused him to slam into the wall face first. "I still have Pokemon, you know?"

Petrel growled as he pulled away from the wall. He grabbed a mirror from somewhere in his suit and looked at his face. "You...little...bitch..." He turned and grabbed me by the throat. "Look what you did to my face!" His face was red from smacking the wall, and his nose was bleeding. He lifted me up and I began to choke. "Oh... I definitely won't kill you now. I'm going to have so much fun with you. I'm going to make you squeal just like I did to the last girl who crossed me."

"Tepi!" I barely managed to get out. "Yawn!" Tepi huffed up, then let out a loud yawn. Petrel whirled around, kicking Tepi hard with his leg, causing her to drop to the ground. He blinked as the attack began to go into effect.

"You... you think..." Petrel's grip loosened on my neck as he began to wobble. "You think that... will put the Great Petrel to... to sleep?!" Petrel fell backwards. "Think... again..." His head leaned back as he passed out.

I massaged my throat now that I could breathe. I took in several large and quick breaths, then looked to Petrel. The loss of blood was starting to affect me. I was starting to feel light-headed. "Go to hell, Petrel." I pulled out Avenger's pokeball. "Avenger... g..." I passed out.

I don't know what happened after I passed out, but I can tell you that when I awoke, I was inside the Pokemon Center in Mahogany Town. Nurse Joy was standing next to me, checking me over, and next to her was Amanda. As I awoke, Amanda gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Arceus," she spoke as she moved over to me.

"What... what happened?" I asked weakly.

"I saved you, I guess. I almost didn't... I ran off after I attacked you on accident... If I hadn't gone back, though, you might have died. I found you lying in a pool of blood on the ground with your Pokemon unconscious near you."

"What happened to Petrel?"

"Petrel was there? That lucky bastard... if I had seen him I would have..." Amanda stopped herself and took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I guess he got away. He wasn't there when I found you."

I groaned and closed my eyes. "Of course he wasn't..." I sighed and there was a time of silence. After a couple of minutes, though, I spoke up. "Amanda... what did they do to you?" I turned to look at her. "You were so angry at them... what did they do to you?"

Amanda shook her head. "You wouldn't understand... no one will ever truly understand..." She looked down at herself.

"Tell me anyway. You might be surprised."

Amanda was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "They used me... No, that's not the right way to say it... They took part of me and used it for their own selfish desires... Kotone, you heard about the Mewtwo Incident, right?"

"Where a horrible monster attacked Cerulean City and nearly levelled it?"

Amanda nodded. "That was my fault..."

"How?"

"When they were trying to create Mewtwo, they needed the DNA of a Pokemon named 'Mew'. They had some, but it wasn't enough. They couldn't form a full creature out of it. So, they decided they would use someone else's DNA. As I had proven I was a worthy adversary for them, they decided it should be me. They lured me into a trap. They took my DNA for that monster. Then the monster broke free of their lab in Cinnabar Island. It destroyed it and escaped to Cerulean Cave. It would have stayed there, silent and dormant, forever... but I had to be the hero... I had to go in there and fight him.

"You see, I share a psychic link with Mewtwo now that he has my DNA. I can sense his every move, his every thought, and I went in there knowing he would cause no harm. I attacked him. I proved to be too weak and he rained destruction down upon Cerulean City in retribution. The only reason I managed to stop him was because of a Master Ball that I had been given for saving Silph Co. But pokeballs aren't a guaranteed prison. I thought that if I destroyed the Master Ball with him inside, it would destroy him as well.

"I went to Cinnabar Island and threw the Master Ball into the volcano. I didn't want to just smash it, because that might still allow him to break free and cause more destruction. I thought that if I threw it into the volcano that it would destroy the ball and the lava would destroy him if he escaped... I was wrong. Cinnabar Island's volcano erupted killing hundreds of people and Mewtwo went free. He escaped to another land far away from here. He remains there today, angry at what I did. He plans to return one day and deal with me. When that day comes... I will happily give up my life."

I didn't know what to say. I lied there, staring at her, trying to formulate a response in my head, but none came. In the end, I just turned away and closed my eyes. Team Rocket was a group of monsters. I wanted them to pay for what they did, but I could also feel the pain in my arm and leg. Both were wrapped in bandages that covered a good portion of both. I knew I wouldn't be moving for a while. I just... lied there, letting these thoughts flow through my mind. I knew it then, the next time I would run into Team Rocket, it would be the last time any of them were still alive.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

It was the early morning, and I was just getting out of the bed I had slept in the night before. It had been a week since the events at the Lake of Rage, and it was finally the end of Summer. The days were going to start cooling down now, which I was glad about. It meant I wouldn't be sweating all day while I was walking around outside travelling.

During the week, I had gone and faced Bryce, the Mahogany Town Gym Leader. While you might be interested to hear the story of my fight with him, it was really rather dull. He didn't stand a chance against me, and in the end, I pretty much one-shot every Pokemon he had. This meant I now had seven badges. Seven badges... I thought about that as I turned back to the bed I had just gotten out of.

Lying in that bed, just as naked as I currently was, was the Champion of the Kanto-Johto Pokemon League. After the events at the Team Rocket base, she had stayed by my side all week while I recovered from my injuries. I no longer had bandages on, but I had some pretty bad scars on my arm from when the Raticate had bitten me. I sighed.

Amanda had dedicated herself to me all week long. She cared for me, helped me out, even watched me when I fought against Pryce. I wondered why. Maybe she felt bad for how she acted in the Rocket base? Maybe she was trying to make up for it? I don't really know. I know I'd be dead if not for her, so I feel as though I owe her my life, yet she's the one who was doing everything for me.

What really surprised me, though, was when Amanda admitted that she was bisexual, but only felt sexual attraction to women she felt really close to. Those words would have just been an odd statement that baffled me if not for the action afterwards. Amanda stripped us both down and then we ended up having sex.

Let me tell you, having sex with your biggest idol is a wild ride. It was amazing from beginning to end, and I was surprised that she even wanted to do that at all. Afterwards, she admitted that she felt a connection with me, like I was somehow important to her life. That's why she was attracted to me sexually. Of course, it was a strictly sexual attraction. Neither of us knew the other enough to be romantically interested in the other.

I looked down at myself and began to wonder... Was this really who I was? I had never had any sexual or romantic interest in women before, yet now I was feeling a strong attraction to a lot of women. Even worse, I was having sex without any concern as to how I felt romantically towards any of these women. First it was Jasmine, then it was Sakura, and now Amanda. Who was next? What girl would I end up burying my hands into next?

I sighed. "Why am I like this?" I hit myself on the head. "Ever since Ho-oh made me his stupid Chosen One... He said he accidentally increased my sex drive, but why am I going after women so much? I'm not even bisexual... am I?" I looked back to Amanda, who looked beautiful lying in the bed. The blanket was on her in just the right way to keep her chest exposed, but the rest of her body covered. Her long brown hair was spread out across her side of the bed, and her face and arms looked so soft. I almost wanted to walk over to her and start touching her body.

I began to imagine myself caressing her cheek, then kissing her softly on the lips while she slept. Then, I moved down and began to gently play with her breasts. No, I didn't want to imagine myself doing that. I quickly shook my head and turned away. I needed a bath.

"Kotone," I heard Amanda's voice call to me as I began to dry myself in the bathroom.

"In the bathroom, Amanda," I responded back, then wrapped a towel around myself. I opened the door and looked out. "What is..." Amanda was standing there completely naked.

"There you are. I wasn't sure where you had gone." Amanda walked towards me and I blushed.

"I-I was just taking a bath, that's all."

"You should have woken me up. I could have helped you. Maybe washed your back or something."

"I can bathe just fine myself, Amanda."

"But your arm..." Amanda reached out for my arm and I pulled it away.

"I'm fine. The doctor said it'll be just fine." I looked Amanda directly in the eyes. "Amanda... what's wrong? Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you here, with me, naked, in a hotel room? Shouldn't you be back at...wherever you live now that you're the Champion? Shouldn't you be fighting Championship battles? Things like that? Why are you here taking care of me? For that matter, why are you insistent on being naked and having sex with me?"

Amanda looked away. My question seemed to have brought with it a great sadness as she now had a very depressed look on her face. "Kotone... I just can't stop thinking about that night... I left you alone to fight the Rockets. I should have been there to help you... and you almost died because of me..."

"But you saved me."

"I shouldn't have had to... If I had been there from the start-"

I put a hand on Amanda's mouth. "No. No more. You ran away because you realized you were too engulfed in what Team Rocket had done to you to even think straight. You were face-to-face with one of the Team Rocket Executives. You fucking blew up most of the base just to silence her. You had every right to run out of there and to escape it. I was the one who decided to keep going, to fight Petrel himself. It's my fault I was there, not yours. Even if you hadn't been there, I still would have found out about Team Rocket's base and gone in. It's not your fault. You only did what you could."

Tears rolled down Amanda's cheeks and I took hold of her head. "It's okay," I spoke softly. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. I remember my towel slipping off during that hug, but I didn't care. I was holding Amanda close, letting her cry. She had had so much bottled up emotion inside of her that we ended up back in bed again, her lying against my chest, crying. We stayed like that for a long time.

As it turns out, Amanda is one hell of an exhibitionist. We were sitting in a little ramen shop not far off from Mahogany Town. Amanda had taken off her shirt the moment her bowl of ramen had been given to her. She said she didn't want to get anything on it because she was a messy eater. The guy running the shop was probably to stunned to the ordeal to say anything one way or another about it. And me... I was trying to eat without staring at her chest.

Amanda had really amazing breasts. They were bigger then mine, which I believe I've stated before. They were also rounder and less droopy then mine were. They were really just amazing to touch and to look at, but I wondered why she was so open with her body. I mean, yeah, I had spent the entirety of my visit in Cianwood City completely naked, but that was because of a deal between me and Jasmine. Amanda was taking off her clothes just for fun.

"Amanda..." I began as I found myself staring at her chest. "Why are you so okay with being naked everywhere?"

Amanda blushed and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I guess it's because... it's all I have left of... him..." Amanda once again had a look of great sorrow on her face at those words.

"You mean Hiro?"

Amanda nodded. "He was my first boyfriend, Kotone. He was the first guy I ever had sex with as well. He wasn't the first person I had sex with, but he was the first guy. Actually, he was the second person I had sex with. Before him, I had only had sex with a close friend of mine named Halie. She moved to the Hoenn region a few years ago, though. Heard she's doing all right, though. Got herself a great boyfriend who fucks her at least twice a day."

I choked on my ramen. "That much?"

"She's a very sexual person. Me and Hiro used to have sex with her a lot before he and I started on our journey. We even had a threesome a few times, but it was always me and Hiro doing stuff to Halie. Hiro and I... we never had sex... not at first anyway. He didn't want to get me pregnant, and Halie couldn't get pregnant."

"So...what happened?"

Amanda looked up and sighed. "Hiro and I started living together when we were about 10 years old. His parents had been killed in an expedition to one of the southern continents in the world. They had gone to find some sort of legendary fossil that had been discovered there. The project had been funded by a well-known scientist, but when the expedition got back and had found nothing... He was so angry that he killed them all."

"Th-that's cruel."

"He was a terrible man, Kotone. Unfortunately, he also had money. He bribed people to pretend it was a suicide. My family was so morbid over the thought that Hiro's parents had committed suicide that they told him his parents had instead been killed by wild Pokemon on the expedition. They took Hiro in, and the two of us started to live together.

"Hiro ended up staying in my room because we didn't have another place for him. At first, it was to be temporary, just until my father could add an extension to the house. We were fine with that, and Hiro slept in his bed while I slept in mine. However, it didn't take long before I found myself sleeping in his bed. When the extension was finished, Hiro was free to move into it, but by that time we had become inseparable. My father used the room for extra storage instead.

"After that... a few years passed, and Hiro and I ended up dating. It was after that, that Hiro was diagnosed with a hormonal disorder where his hormones were more active then they should have been. One function of that disorder was that it gave him a very strong sex drive. So, I did what I thought a girlfriend should do, I offered to have sex with him whenever he needed it."

Amanda gave a sad chuckle. "Of course, he refused at first, but I kept bugging him about it day-in and day-out. I started to wear less to please him, and when we found out that Halie couldn't get pregnant, we decided together that this was what he needed. Hiro and her started having sex, but then I started to feel left out. So, Halie and I started having sex. In the end, we ended up with several points where all three of us were involved.

"That lasted for a while. As we grew up, I kept wearing less and less until I had stopped wearing clothes in the house altogether. That's when my outside wardrobe began to shrink as well. Eventually, I reached a point where I just didn't care anymore. I would take off my clothes in public without a thought. Since then... I've just never been able to keep my clothes on." Amanda sighed.

"What happened to Hiro?" I asked. I had heard so many different stories, but here I had Amanda herself next to me. I wanted to know exactly what happened to him.

Tears appeared in Amanda's eyes. "He died... last year... he was training... He said he had been called to something, he was supposed to stop a war... He went to train in Mt. Silver, the most dangerous place in either the Kanto or Johto regions. The Pokemon there are strong and aggressive because of how bad it is to live there..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "He was killed... his body burnt to a crisp, along with those of his Pokemon... We don't know what killed him, but his journal survived. According to it... he had been chased by some kind of flaming bird for days. He was going to come back, saying it was too dangerous to stay there... and that's the last thing he wrote..."

"I'm sorry..." I reached over and pulled Amanda close to me. I kissed her gently on the cheek.

Amanda turned and pulled me towards her, pressing her lips into mine. Her hands immediately groped at my chest and we found ourselves soon falling onto the ground. I moaned as Amanda began to bite at my neck as her hands tried to penetrate my shorts. Yeah... Amanda and I ended up having sex right then and there, and all the ramen guy could do was stare. He probably was beating off to us, but Amanda didn't care. I think sex was sort of her way of hiding her emotions. She wanted to cry, and instead she had sex with the nearest and easiest person to have sex with.

Another week passed. Finally, I had fought and argued with Amanda long enough. Amanda returned to Indigo Plateau, where she would again resume her duties as the Kanto-Johto Champion. Meanwhile, I had a route to travel, a cave to cross, and a mountain to traverse to get to my final stop, Blackthorn City.

My pokegear began to ring. "Ethan?" I remarked as I saw the name on it. I answered it. "Hey, Ethan."

"Kotone, turn on your radio card," Ethan sounded frantic.

"Ethan, what's wrong?"

"Turn it on, now."

I flipped open the radio app of the pokegear.

"Attention, citizens of Johto!" a voice spoke over the radio. "My name is Archer, the current head of Team Rocket! As of right now, Goldenrod City belongs to Team Rocket! Any police officers or army units that attempt to attack us will be met with the full hostility of Team Rocket! We currently hold the entire city hostage, and if anyone should try to stop us, this city and all of its citizens will burn! We demand that Giovanni, our once great leader, return to us, so that he may lead us into an age of conquest and control over both the Johto and Kanto regions! Right now, this same broadcast is being aired from the Kanto Radio Tower in Vermillion City as well. Giovanni, if you can hear us, return to us! HAIL GIOVANNI! HAIL TEAM ROCKET!"


End file.
